


Pay back

by Lastsyns



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Death, Drugs, M/M, Poison, Rape Aftermath, Seizures, Temporary Character Death, Weevils (Torchwood)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-05
Updated: 2015-08-13
Packaged: 2018-03-16 10:06:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 36,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3484220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lastsyns/pseuds/Lastsyns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Someone is pretending to be Jack wreaking havoc around Cardiff.  With the Doctor a victim as well Jack will do anything to set the record straight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The Doctor was cautious as he landed the TARDIS in a dark alley way next to the address that he had received as a message to his TARDIS phone. He had traced the number back to a pre-paid device with a name he didn't recognize. Still the message had asked for help and that wasn't a request he usually ignored especially because the person had his number. Not many people had it anymore as he had stopped giving it out. If people really needed him they usually found a way to get a hold of him right now though he just wanted to be left alone. As he stepped off the TARDIS he saw a familiar looking man in a long coat standing at the end of the alley. It looked like Jack but there was something wrong with him. He wasn't a fact anymore but a regular human once more. 

"Jack?" The Doctor questioned softly. He made sure the doors to the TARDIS were closed tightly as he moved closer. 

"Hello Doctor," Jack replied his voice cheerful. There was something different about his voice as well. A chill went through the Doctor and he turned to run back to the TARDIS. A hand grabbed his arm. "Didn't think you were getting away that easily did you?" 

"Let me go," The Doctor demanded. He tried to pull his arm free but the man was to strong for him. He cried out as a needle pierced his skin. "Jack," The Doctor sounded frightened as the drugs began to take effect. Jack the grip on his arm, turning and leading him back towards the bar. He tried to continue to fight him but he stumbled and swayed on his feet. Colors blended around him. He no longer knew where the TARDIS was as he was pushed on wards. Others saw the Doctor as just a drunk stumbling down the street with his friend. It was easy for Jack to lead him to a set of steps that headed to the rooms above a bar. At one point the Doctor fell. He felt himself being lifted up as they continued on their journey.

"Why?" The Doctor wondered as he struggled not to fall asleep and to get away from Jack.

"So that you know what it feels like to be betrayed by someone you thought you could trust," Jack said simply. He held the Doctor against him as the Doctor lost the battle with the drugs and drifted off into an uneasy sleep. He carried the Doctor to the room that he had rented. It took a little bit of manipulating, but he managed to get the door unlocked to the room. He closed it behind them as he carried the Doctor over to the bed. He laid him face down on it, making sure to turn his head slightly so he didn't suffocate in the pillows. Reaching under the bed, he pulled out a length of rope. With the Doctor asleep, it was easy to strip him of his clothes. He then secured the Doctor's hands to the bed post. 

The Doctor was able to metabolize drugs quickly, so it wasn't long before he started to wake up again. He moaned as he tried to move. He didn't remember what had happened right away, but then the fact that Jack had drugged him came rushing back. He struggled to stand up, quickly realizing he was attached to a bed, he pulled on his wrist. 

"You're just going to hurt yourself," Jack informed him. "I took your sonic and you are no where near your TARDIS so you won't be able to escape."

"Why are you doing this?" The Doctor asked as he continued to struggle against the ropes. He struggled harder as he heard Jack's zipper being undone. 

"I want to make him pay for his betrayal," Jack told him. The Doctor's forehead furrowed in confusion. Jack toed his shoes off and then dropped his trousers. Jack didn't say anything else as he finished undressing and came over to the bed. The Doctor tensed as he felt a hand drift down his bottom and he realized that he was naked. 

"Make who pay. I don't...." The Doctor tried. His words went muffled as Jack pushed a cloth gag into his mouth. 

"Hush now." Jack tied the gag behind the Doctor's head to stop him from being able to spit it out. Climbing up on the bed, he settled himself between the Doctor's legs. The Doctor cried out around the gag but Jack ignored him as he placed his hands on the twin mounds of the Doctor's arse. First putting his finger in his mouth, he made sure it was wet before he pressed at the puckered hole. The Doctor tensed up and Jack pressed harder to make his finger slip in. The Doctor yelped in pain as Jack pushed in further into the cool body. The Doctor was tighter then he ever imagined and he couldn't wait to claim the Doctor's body. A part of him was telling him this was wrong but he ignored it. 

"That's right Doctor, cry for me," Jack taunted him. He pulled his finger out. Not bothering to prepare the Doctor anymore, he spit and rubbed it on the top of his member. Grabbing the Doctor's hips he roughly pushed him up so that he was on his knees. In almost the same motion, he pressed his member between the twin mounds. The Doctor shook his head no frantically but Jack kept pressing until he felt the Doctor's body give and the head of his cock penetrated the Doctor. The Doctor screamed around the gag. 

"No screaming. From now on I only want to hear moans," Jack snapped and slapped the Doctor's bottom hard. His hand left a bright red mark on the pale cheek. He held himself steady for a moment as he slapped the other cheek to give it a matching mark. The Doctor tensed under him. Jack grabbed him by the hips, pushing forward once more causing the Doctor to scream again. Jack reacted immediately by slapping his sore bottom once more in warning. "I said stop it." 

The Doctor couldn't help it though. He felt like he had been torn in two by Jack and the man kept pushing forward. The burning pain got worse until he finally felt Jack's groin pressing firmly against his bottom. He had no time to adjust or breathe as Jack began to thrust roughly. His entire body centered on the in and out sensation that sent pain like he could only imagine through him. His body jolted with each thrust and he felt as though he was going to be sick to his stomach. Tears streamed down from his eye clogging his nose and making it hard to breathe. He swallowed his pride as he begged Jack to stop through the gag.

"I can't understand you, you will have to speak up," Jack informed him as he continued to move inside the Doctor. He kept moving relentlessly inside the Doctor as the Doctor struggled below him. He looked down to see his cock moving between the firm red cheeks. It was almost enough to make him cum right then, so he concentrated on the wall. He held the Doctor's hips tighter as he found a deep rhythm. The Doctor stopped moaning as Jack abused his tight hole but Jack could still hear him sobbing pitifully. Looking down he saw the Doctor had managed to angle his head so he was biting his own arm. His eyes were squeezed tightly closed.

Jack continued to move as he waited for the Doctor realize that there was no escaping. That he was helpless to save himself from what was happening to his body. Only then did he find his release and spilled himself deep inside the Doctor. Pulling out, he watched his cum drip out of the red sore hole. His fingers had left bruises on the Doctor's hips and his wrist were bleeding from struggling against the ropes. 

Going to the Doctor's head, he knelt down so he was eye level. Even through the red, tear stained face, the Doctor was able to glare at him with all the strength of the oncoming storm. Jack just blinked. He wasn't afraid of him, especially not now. 

"Well I was going to untie you, but you can sleep like this for the night," Jack lied. Jack left the room, locking it behind him and shut off the lights. Leaving the Doctor alone in the dark and in misery.

-DW-

There were many reasons that Jack had once hated the Doctor for over the years. Leaving him behind on the game station was the biggest reason of all. Why he had ever trusted the man, Jack wasn't sure. He hated him for making him feel like he could change to be a better man and then leaving him ankle deep in the Dalek dust with no way off of the Game Station. It was only thanks to his ingenuity that he was able to get his vortex manipulator working and get off of the game station. He then had to wait over one hundred years for answers on why he had been left behind. Answers that the Doctor did provide but Jack still felt as though he had did something wrong by coming back to life. Perhaps that was part of the reason why he declined to travel with the Doctor after their year together aboard the valiant or maybe it was just for the young Welshman in his arms. 

Jack's phone going off interrupted the moment. Picking it up he saw a text message from an unknown number. Opening it he saw the simple words, "I have a surprise for you Jack." As well as an address. Jack recognized the address as one of the rooms over the bar that he use to frequent. The bar rented the rooms for the night to patrons so they didn't have to try to find a way home after a long night of drinking. Curious Jack stood up. 

"I have to go Ianto," He informed his lover softly. 

"Time for work all ready?" Ianto questioned. 

"No, something has come up. I will see you at work later." Jack kissed Ianto softly several times on the lips before finishing dressing. It was probably a trap and he didn't want to get Ianto involved. If it wasn't a trap he thought it might be one of his old lovers and for that he really didn't want to get Ianto involved. It was a quick drive across town to the bar. Once there he went up to the room that was written on the text. Knocking he received no reply. He tried the door handle and found it locked. Jack found that strange as he was sure he had the right place. He looked up and down the hallway, making sure it was clear before kneeling down. It was quick work to pick the lock and let himself into the room. He closed the door behind him, then flicked on the light. 

"Doctor," Jack cried out in alarm upon seeing the Doctor tied to the bed. He was staring at Jack wearily as Jack ran to his side. He flinched away from him as Jack pulled out a knife. He closed his eyes tightly, thinking Jack was going to finish the job. This Jack was different though. His voice was the correct range and time bounced off of him just as it should. He felt his sore arms hit the bed as the ropes were cut, slowly he he opened his eyes as he moved his hands to take the gag out of his mouth. 

"Who did this to you?" Jack wondered as raged filled him. 

"You did," The Doctor answered wearily. He wanted more then anything to get away from Jack but his body was sore and he found moving hard. 

"I was with Ianto all night Doctor. I didn't do this to you. I couldn't do this to you," Jack said softly, trying not to get sick to his stomach at the thought. He couldn't imagine ever hurting the Doctor like this even when he hated him. "What did he look like?"

"You," The Doctor told him again. It didn't make sense to Jack. 

"You need to see a doctor," Jack informed him as he looked at the Doctor's bruised body. He was also worried about his state of mind especially since he thought that he had did this to him. 

"I need my TARDIS," The Doctor answered as he struggled to his feet. He wasn't sure where his clothes were or his TARDIS. With his sonic though he could find her, if only he could find his clothes. Jack handed him his clothes off the floor, turning away as he dressed. The Doctor struggled a little to get his suit on but once dressed he quickly left, heading to his TARDIS. Somewhere Jack was behind him and he just wanted to get as far away as possible from him.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack followed the Doctor at a safe distance as he stumbled down the street. As much as Jack wanted to investigate the room and find out what happened to his friend, he was more concerned with the Time Lord himself. It was obvious what had happened to him. It was also obvious that he was scared, with drugs possibly in his system based on his dilated pupils. He let the Doctor leave before locking the room up. He sent Gwen a text as he followed the Doctor telling her to get to the address but under no circumstances should she or anyone else enter the room until he came back. He was going to comb the entire room on his hands and knees if that is what it took to find the man responsible for this. He caught up to the Doctor as he stumbled, putting a hand on the wall for support. 

"Please Doctor let me help you," Jack begged as he got closer. The Doctor whipped around in terror of Jack's voice. In doing so, he tripped over his own feet, sending himself sprawling to the ground. He yelped in pain as he put his hands down to stop himself. Jack felt his heart stop for the second time as he rushed to help the Doctor up. The Doctor though refused to take his hand.

"Leave me alone Jack," The Doctor practically whined. He didn't understand it, this Jack sounded right and felt right but he was following him. He just wanted to get to the TARDIS. He didn't know where she was though. He pushed himself so that he was sitting up and pulled his sonic out of his pocket. Scanning the area, he was relieved to find he was heading in the right direction. He only had another few blocks and he would be safe. 

"Doctor, I know you don't trust me at the moment but I really don't think you should be alone right now. Martha works for me as well as Mickey. Come back to the hub with me, let Martha treat your wounds and you can have a nice cup of tea and a kip before you leave again," Jack offered to the Doctor. Just for a moment he saw hope in the Doctor's eyes before it faded to confusion once more. He wanted to believe Jack while at the same time he just wanted to run from him. Jack sighed and pulled out his cell phone. Dialing Martha's number he handed the phone to the Doctor. 

"It's four in the morning Jack, can't I sleep in just this once?" Martha asked as soon as she answered the phone. 

"Sorry," The Doctor whispered. 

"I am so sorry Doctor I thought you were Jack." Martha's voice sounded distant as she checked the caller ID to make sure it was Jack's number she had seen. The Doctor set the phone down on the pavement as he no longer seemed interested in it. He felt dizzy and his body hurt. He thought the drugs had cleared his system but whatever the man had given him was lingering. That scared him even more because there were few drugs that could affect a Time Lord that way. "Doctor? Doctor are you still there?" 

"He's here Martha," Jack answered as he leaned down to pick up the phone as The Doctor struggled to his feet. 

"What is going on Jack?" Martha asked in concern. 

"I will explain everything as soon as I see you. I know I ask it a lot but can you please come to the hub? I am about ten minutes away driving but I am pretty sure that we are going to be walking, so we may be awhile," Jack explained as the Doctor managed to stand. He balanced himself against the wall again, holding his hand out for the phone. Part of him didn't trust Martha was on the other end, as the other part hoped that she was. 

"I am all ready getting dressed," Martha informed Jack. She knew just how bad things were when Jack didn't make a comment about her being naked. Jack always flirted regardless of whether or not it was appropriate. Jack handed the phone back to the Doctor. 

"Martha?" The Doctor questioned as he took the phone again. "Something is wrong Martha." He began to move forward again as he spoke to Martha. He was determinedly putting one foot in front of the other, trying to get away from Jack. 

"What's the matter Doctor?" She wondered softly. He sounded scared and that terrified her as the Doctor never sounded scared. 

"I don't know," He replied. 

"Well why don't you have Jack drive you to the hub and we will figure out what is wrong when you get there?" Martha questioned. 

"It's not Jack," The Doctor whispered into the phone. He carefully looked over his shoulder to see that Jack was still behind him. "He is following me."

"Well tell me where you are and I will come and get you," Martha told him. He looked around finally settling on the name of a shop across the street. Martha knew the building well as she passed it everyday on the way to work and she wasn't that far from it. "I will be there in just a minute Doctor. Just keep talking to me." 

"Stop following me," He called out to Jack and into the phone at the same time. He jumped when almost exactly a minute later a black SVU stopped beside the curb. His hearts raced, thinking Jack was going to take him again. He was relieved though when Martha got out. She went around and opened the passenger side door for him. Even in the dim light of the street lamps she could see his tear stained face. She watched as he winced as he climbed into the SUV, with no hug or happy word of greeting. Jack watched on from a few feet back. Martha looked at him but he made no move to get closer as she went around to the driver's side once more. He waited until they were on their way to the hub before heading back to the bar. 

He beat Gwen to the room. Going back inside he swallowed hard as he surveyed the scene in front of him. He felt sick as he realized that it hadn't been a random attack but planned. Not only because of the text message he had received but also because the state of the room. The bed had been stripped of its blankets and they were folded in a chair with the pillows set on top. A coil of rope was next to the bed along with an empty syringe. He opened all of the dresser drawers as well as the closet and found them to be empty. Not just empty though but scrubbed so they smelled strongly of cleaner. 

"Jack," Gwen asked as she came to the room to find the door opened a crack. 

"Be careful where you walk. We need to go through this room and find any evidence possible for an attack and assault that happened," Jack told her. 

"I will go get my kit," Gwen replied, heading out the door once more. Jack thought she was being cold with her professionalism but he didn't stop her. After all she didn't know that his friend had been hurt in this room and he had been invited to see it as a surprise. One thing was sure though he was going to make the person pay dearly for what they did.

-DW-

Martha felt the same anger as the Doctor sat looking down at the ground on the medical table. She could see the blood and bruises on his wrist, indicating that he had been tied up. She couldn't tell anything else without examining the Doctor but never in the few years that she had known him, had she seen him so quiet and scared looking. She just wanted to hug him but when she tried, he had flinched away from her touch. 

"I am going to clean up your wrist and then draw a sample of blood. Is there anything else that needs treating?" Martha questioned him softly. 

"My arm," He answered, his voice barely above a whisper. 

"What is the matter with your arm?" She questioned. 

"It hurts," He told her. He was wearing one of his dress shirts like normal and when he removed his jacket she could see the blood stained undershirt. 

"I am going to get you a clean shirt to wear, but how about you take off that one, so we can clean it for you," Martha suggested. 

"No," He whimpered. 

"I am not going to hurt you I just want to see your arm," Martha informed him. It was with shaky hands that he undid his shirt to show her where he had bit his own arm to keep quiet. As he pulled his shirt off though she gasped seeing the bruises on his hips. He tried to quickly put his shirt back on but she put a hand to stop him. His eyes went wide for a moment. "You just surprised me that's all." Martha tried to make it sound like it was her fault for scaring him but they both knew the truth. She cleaned up the bite wound to his arm as well as both his wrist. She could tell by the placement and angle of the bite that it was a self inflicted wound. 

"Want to tell me what happened?" She asked him. He shook his head no at her. He watched her closely as she pierced his skin with an empty syringe then drew two vials of blood to test. She then left him for a moment returning with a clean shirt. "I am going to run a few test on your blood. Why don't you close your eyes and try to get some rest. I will be right in the next room if you need me." 

"Will you stay in here with me?" The Doctor asked. He felt childish for asking but he didn't want to be alone. 

"Of course," Martha replied. She sat down beside the bed as the Doctor lay down. It wasn't long before he fell into an uneasy sleep, whimpering and crying out for Jack to stop. Martha hoped it wasn't Jack that had really hurt the Doctor because if it was she would help the Doctor find a way to make sure that Jack stayed dead.


	3. Chapter 3

As they went through the room, it quickly became obvious that they were only going to find the evidence that the person who attacked the Doctor wanted them to find. Not only had the drawers and closet been scrubbed clean, the bathroom smelled strongly of bleach and the the carpets had been vacuumed. They centered on the bed, finding blood, hair and semen. Jack let Gwen gather the evidence as he concentrated hard on not throwing a fit and destroying it all. He wanted nothing more then to destroy the room and any memories that he associated to the room with it.

"So are you going to talk about what happened in here?" Gwen asked as she carefully swabbed blood from the bed. 

"No," Jack responded. She looked over to see him leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. He was watching her closely to make sure she got all the evidence she could but at the same time trusted that she wasn't going to miss anything. Though Gwen had been a cop at one time she was only a constable when she joined Torchwood. Jack still used her as a liaison between Torchwood and the police but he had taught her a lot about evidence collecting and analysis since she had joined him. He even trusted her enough that he was willing to leave her to finish up so that he could get back to the hub. He was just terrified the Doctor would blame him again. 

He watched as Gwen looked the bed over once more before rising to her feet. She had placed everything she had collected in a small black bag and she took that in her hand as well. Jack though reached out and took it from her. 

"I am going to take the samples to Martha for analysis. I want you to go and talk to the owner of this place. Try to find out who was renting the room for the night. I want to know if he is a regular and if so when he normally shows up. This place should also have security cameras, I want you to get the tapes and review them. We need to find out who did this quickly," Jack told her. Gwen just listened to him as he spoke. She knew how to do her job and what was expected of her. She could see though the worry etched on Jack's face. 

"Who did what?" She asked though the evidence she was finding painted a clear story. Jack didn't answer her as he left the room quickly, heading down to his SUV. He drove the short distance to the hub. It was barely six now and still to early for anyone else to be at work. He wouldn't be surprised though to find Mickey working away as he normally followed Martha in. Jack got out of the SUV and taking a deep breath headed inside. Sure enough Mickey was sitting at the rift computers working away. He had his headphones on and didn't notice as Jack went to the autopsy room.

The Doctor was laying on the bed in there. He had been covered with a sheet and was sleeping as Martha worked quietly on a tablet beside him. She looked up as she heard Jack approaching. He didn't go down though, choosing to stay at the top of the stairs in case the Doctor woke up afraid of him again. Martha sat her tablet down and stood up. She gave a quick glance to the Doctor before she headed up the stairs. She went right past Jack back into the hub. Jack followed her. 

"I will ask you once Captain and you better not lie to me. Did you hurt the Doctor?" Martha seethed. She didn't yell at him, keeping her voice low so that if the Doctor did wake up he wouldn't hear them. 

"Of course not," Jack snipped back at her.

"He seems to think you did," Martha informed Jack angrily. 

"I know. I didn't hurt him though, I couldn't. I was with Ianto when I received a text telling me to go to the rooms above the bar. When I got there I found him," Jack told her feeling the need to explain. 

"You have always wanted to get into bed with him," Martha pointed out. 

"I wouldn't rape him though, you know I wouldn't. I have wanted to get him into my bed yes, but in a way that I would be able to bed him again in the future. Not so that he is terrified of me the rest of his life," Jack told her. She nodded at that knowing that Jack was right. Jack loved the Doctor. He would never do anything to jeopardize the friendship they had. She chose to believe him for now, but if the evidence came back that he had forced himself upon the Doctor she would kill him personally. "How is he?"

"Sleeping at the moment. I drew blood and I have it in the centrifuge at the moment so that I can test it further. Initial data though is showing that he has enough drugs in his system that it would have killed a human. I am going to see if I can find out what they are so we can get more of an idea of his mindset. Also I have his shirt to test and when he wakes up I am going to see if I can get his trousers and pants," Martha explained. 

"I also have this evidence I want you to go through," Jack handed Martha the bag with the evidence from the room. Looking down into the room again, he watched the Doctor whimper in his sleep and turn over without fully waking. His face was tense as even in his sleep he didn't get a reprieve from the weight that he carried on his shoulders. It would one day catch up to him and Jack hoped that he would turn to them before he fell. Jack wanted to go to him, but he would never forgive himself if he scared the Time Lord off before he was ready to go. If that happened who knew what kind of trouble he would get himself into. 

-DW-

It was almost another two hours before the Doctor woke up. He was miserable still and his body hurt from sleeping on the hard autopsy bed. He just wanted to go back to sleep but he was thirsty and wanted to find a more comfortable place to sleep. He opened his eyes to see that Martha was no longer sitting by his bed. That upset him more then it should have as he still really didn't want to be alone. 

"Martha," he called out softly. 

"I will be there in a moment," Martha called back. She was just in the next room working on his blood samples again. She had an electric kettle in her office and she made him a cuppa before going to his side. He gratefully took the tea and sipped it. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired and sore," He informed her. He felt to poorly to put on his normal charade of being fine. "Is there another bed I can sleep on. This one is too hard." Martha laughed. 

"There is a cot in my office or a couch up in the conference room. Jack also has a room here with a bed," Martha answered him. He scrunched up his face at the mention of Jack. "I know you don't want to talk about it, but I have to ask. Did Jack do this to you?"

"I don't know," He admitted. He looked down as Martha was right he really didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to remember how helpless he had felt as he was tied to the bed. He didn't want to concentrate on how sore his body still felt from the attack or the stinging in his wrist from where the ropes had cut into his flesh. He didn't want to think about the way the man had looked like Jack but the man wasn't immortal and his voice was wrong. A part of him knew that the man wasn't Jack from this time but he couldn't help but wonder if it was another Jack from the past or future. One that still wanted to hurt him while the Jack he knew now loved him. Thinking about it made his head hurt. He took another sip of the tea before he stood up on shaky legs. 

"Where are we going?" Martha questioned. She knew that he wanted to sleep again and just hoped that he was really tired still. Hiding from what happened to him wasn't going to help him. She wasn't going to force him to deal with it while the wounds to his body where still so fresh but he was going to have to. 

"The couch," The Doctor answered. Martha took his hand and led him up to the conference room. The couch was large but it was still to small for him to stretch out comfortably on. That didn't stop the Doctor from laying down on it and curling up slightly. It was a lot softer then the autopsy room bed and he closed his eyes once more. Almost as soon as Martha covered him with a blanket he was asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack didn't know what to do. He wanted to go and comfort the Doctor but he stayed away from the terrified Time Lord. His next step would have been to drink whiskey and forget, it was too early in the day for that though. Plus he had a job to do. He didn't feel like working on anything but the Doctor's case. He had Gwen working on the information and tapes she had gathered from the bar. As much as he wanted to help her, he didn't want them to think he had tampered with the evidence since the Doctor had all ready accused him of being the one who hurt him. So he left Gwen to go through the tapes and records while he had Martha sort through the evidence collected in the room. Needing to make sure the Doctor was all right he went to the autopsy room. His blood went cold when he saw the bed empty. He went down the stairs opening the door to the lab slowly, Martha was hunched over her microscope working quietly.

"Where is he?" Jack asked her. He was worried the Doctor had decided to leave. The last thing the Time Lord needed to do was leave on his own. If he was hurt again, Jack would never forgive himself. 

"He is sleeping on the couch in the conference room. I asked Mickey to keep an eye on him," Martha explained without looking up. "I have work to do. I've started the process on the blood and semen samples so that we can get a DNA sample on them."

"How soon will you know anything?" Jack questioned her. 

"If I work through the night I should have answers as early as tomorrow," Martha answered him.

"Can you make it sooner?" Jack wondered as he was desperate to find out who hurt the Doctor. He sat down in the chair beside her. 

"If I had the TARDIS maybe, but I am not going to ask the Doctor where she is parked and risk him running. He needs time to rest and feel safe again," Martha explained. She was just as worried about the Doctor. Seeing the hyperactive Time Lord sit there quietly and then sleep in front of her was a testament to how bad he was feeling. She couldn't remember if she ever actually saw him sleep before today as his eyes were always open when she entered the room.

"I always dreamed that he would come here again, even if he just needed our help to save the universe. I never imagined that he would be so broken that he just wanted to hide in his sleep. Even the Master, as horrible as he was, never violated the Doctor in such a way," Jack voice was soft as he spoke to Martha. He had watched the Master torture the Doctor during the year that never was, as he was helpless to stop he. He had seen the Doctor sleep though, both of them only close enough to each other that he could touch the Doctor's fingertips with his own. Once or twice he even held the Doctor gently after the Master had beat him almost to death. At least then he was allowed to comfort the Time Lord, not be seen as the man who hurt him. He stood up again and went to the CCTV. Flicking it on he saw the Doctor sleeping peacefully on the couch. He was curled on his side, with only the top of his head sticking out of the blanket. 

"Sir," Ianto said, interrupting his thoughts. 

"What is it Ianto," He snapped harsher then he meant to. 

"I have just received word that the police reported a weevil attack in a residential area," Ianto informed him. He was slightly taken aback by Jack's harsh tone, but had been warned by Mickey what happened. 

"Was anyone killed?" Jack asked, not wanting to get involved. If the person was alive they would just be taken to the hospital where they would be told it was an animal attack by the medics who were unaware weevils existed. 

"No, but it wasn't a regular attack sir. Andy says that residents reported a black van pulling into the neighborhood about 7am. A man got out of the van and then opened the back releasing almost a dozen of the weevils," Ianto reported. Jack swore under his breath. How the man had managed to capture the weevils was beyond Jack as they normally attacked anyone who entered their habitat. Jack hated going into the sewers and caves after artifacts as he knew that he would end up dead. 

"Did they give a description of the man?" Jack wondered.

"They did. They said he looked to be about six feet tall in his late thirties with brown hair and blue eyes," Ianto informed Jack. Ianto stared at Jack as he spoke. 

"I was here," Jack snapped at Ianto. First he was being blamed for the Doctor and now the weevil attack. He knew it made him sound paranoid but someone was out to get him. 

"I never said you weren't sir," Ianto held up his hands in defense. Jack sighed loudly, running his hands through his hair. He really wanted that drink of whiskey. 

"Go to the scene and found out exactly what happened. I want the person responsible caught and brought back here so I can interrogate them personally," Jack seethed. He kicked the chair nearest to him, knocking it over. It didn't make him feel better. In fact he was still angry but now his foot hurt. Straightening the chair up, he sat down hard. 

"Sir, Andy recognized your description. They are going to ask for your arrest as several people were injured by the weevil," Ianto told Jack, unphased by Jack's display of anger. 

"Then tell them I have all ready been arrested and am being held in Torchwood's cells, because I am not going any where until we found out who is framing me," Jack hissed at Ianto. 

"Sir," Ianto started. 

"Go," Jack practically yelled at him. Ianto hurried towards the exit, grabbing his coat along the way. Jack saw Mickey looking at him, but Mickey didn't say anything as he headed down to the labs. Jack watched the monitor. He had been finally getting his life together again. He had a steady boyfriend, a good team and someone was trying to take it away from him. They obviously didn't know him that well as he wasn't going to go down without a fight.


	5. Chapter 5

After several hours of work, Martha was able to begin identifying some of the drugs that were in the Doctor's system. She was surprised to find that a few of them were Time Lord drugs that she only had information on thanks to the Doctor. She glanced over at the second set of test that were getting the DNA to where she could identify whose it was. While she still wasn't positive that it wasn't Jack who hurt the Doctor, she was sure of one thing. Whoever had could not have been from the 21st century. One thing was clear though, the amount of drugs in his system was worrying. Grabbing a fresh syringe and a cup of tea as a peace offering, she headed to the Doctor's side. 

"Wake up Doctor," Martha cooed softly as she knelt beside the couch. She had checked on him often since he moved to sleep. Each time she had come in when she pulled the blanket down off of his face he barely reacted beyond a sigh or a scrunch of his nose. He was sleeping so soundly that she felt horrible for having to wake him as she knew he had to be feeling sickly. Not only from what happened to him but the drugs that were in his system. She needed to draw blood again though and she wasn't cruel enough to try to take it while he was sleeping. He didn't respond to her though, so she pulled the blanket down just enough that she could see his face. "Come on open those eyes for a moment." 

"Martha," the Doctor whined with his tone as he didn't listen to her. 

"I know I am mean and it isn't fair to wake you when you were sleeping so peacefully but I need to take more blood," Martha explained keeping her voice low. He moaned at the thought. First she woke him now she was going to poke him with a needle. At that moment he really didn't like Martha. Still it was best to get it over with as he had the feeling she wouldn't leave him alone until she got her blood sample. He pulled his arm out of the blanket offering it to her as he opened his eyes. His eyes were bloodshot and he didn't bother to open them more then a crack as he found the light in the room blinding. She found a vein easily in his arm. 

"Sharp prick," She warned him. He hissed as she inserted the needle but didn't pull away from her. The look on his face as she did though, made her feel as if she were torturing him rather than just drawing blood. She only took a single vial this time as she wanted to make sure the drugs were clearing his system and not looking for anything else. Pulling the needle out, she barely got a plaster on it before he had tucked his arm back under the blanket.

"How are you feeling?" Martha asked. She labeled the blood with the time. She was going to have to take more in a few hours and hoped that he was awake then so she wouldn't have to disturb him again. 

"Martha," the Doctor moaned again, trying to burrow beneath the blanket. 

"That badly huh," Martha questioned. He nodded slightly letting his eyes drift closed. Martha gently smoothed the hair back behind his ear. He opened his eyes slightly to look at her. Picking up the tea she held it out to him. "Do you want a cup of tea before you go back to sleep?"

"No," The Doctor responded. His response worried Martha as the Doctor never turned down a hot cup of tea. Especially if that tea was all ready made and in front of him. 

"All right but I want you to try to drink something or we are going to have to put up an IV," Martha warned him. Showing how much he cared, the Doctor closed his eyes. Within a short time he was sleeping soundly once more. Martha set the tea where he could see it but wouldn't knock it over if he tried to stand up. She then fixed his blanket for him before leaving the conference room, closing the door tightly behind her. 

"How is he?" Jack worried. He had been standing outside the door to the conference room ever since Martha entered it. He didn't dare go in and check on the Doctor himself. 

"Miserable. Who ever did this to him, I don't think they knew what they were doing drug wise. While they didn't kill him, the drugs are interacting with each other in a way that is going to make him sick until they clear his system. The best thing he can do right now is sleep and drink plenty of liquids. I may have to put him on an IV later though as he seems reluctant to open his eyes let alone drink anything," Martha explained to Jack as the two of them walked back towards the lab. 

"Maybe they wanted to make him sick," Jack commented. Martha shrugged.

"I don't know what they intended to do besides hurt him," Martha answered. She had hoped that once she began to figure out the drugs in his system it would provide them answers. The problem was that they didn't makes sense. She was positive of one thing at this point though, the man was trying to kill the Doctor with the drugs he used and amount. The thing was he didn't know Time Lord biology well enough and instead made the Doctor sick rather then overdose him. 

"Is there anything I can do?" Jack wondered. He hated not being able to help with the investigation. As soon as his name was cleared he was going to take lead again and track down the man who was responsible. At the earliest that would be the morning meeting tomorrow. 

"Not at the moment," Martha answered. Frustrated Jack went to watch the rift and the CCTV again. 

-DW-

Ianto arrived at the small neighborhood on the east side of Cardiff. There were still police cars there and residents standing outside there home watching. The injured people had all ready been taken away but the police were still trying to get the weevils out of the neighborhood. 

"Where the hell have you guys been," Andy yelled as Ianto exited his SUV. "We have had a dozen weevils running around the neighborhood for over an hour now."

"Sorry, I came as quickly as I could," Ianto apologized, not really sure why he was. He looked around counting only four weevils still remaining alive. They were a few houses down from where Andy stood, distracted by something in the trees. "Where are the rest?"

"A few of them we have managed to scare off, two have been killed and another is in the back of that van," Andy informed him. He pointed to a plain looking white van that was rattling slightly as its prisoner tried to escape. "As soon as we finish here I am going to Torchwood to question Jack." 

"Jack didn't do this. At the time of the incident he was in the hub with me and four others. We have him on CCTV as proof he was in the hub," Ianto informed Andy. Andy looked at him. "I know the man matches Jack description. There is a second incident I believe is related that we are working on. Once we found out who was responsible, we will be able to catch who was responsible for letting the weevils loose." 

"Four people have been injured and taken to the hospital. Several others have scratches or other small injuries," Andy hissed at him. He was sure that Ianto was defending his boss. The person matched Jack's description perfectly. That led Andy to believe it was Jack along with the fact they were able to capture the weevils. 

"Torchwood takes jurisdiction over the police. I am willing to work with you but if I have to I will take over," Ianto warned. Andy glared at him. He was willing to work with Ianto for now or risk loosing the case. He wouldn't be happy though until Jack was sitting in a cell downtown.


	6. Chapter 6

Within a few minutes of sitting down at the rift computer again, Jack made a decision. He was sick of not being able to be there for the Doctor and the people of Cardiff when they needed him. He wasn't going to just continue to stand by, feeling sorry for himself. If he did that then he was letting whoever was ruining his name continue to without a fight. As soon as he finished his first errand, he was going to get on the CCTV for the city and try to find out who was causing the trouble. First though, he wanted to help the Doctor. Even if he had to wait for Martha to clear his name for hurting the Doctor, he could at least try to make the Doctor more comfortable while he was staying with them.

"Mickey, I need you to come with me," Jack called out as he headed to the door. He wasn't stupid enough to leave on his own at the moment. If he did it would be the perfect opportunity for the man to wreck more havoc and blame him. It was better if he didn't give them that opportunity. He was happy to see that Mickey stood automatically grabbing his coat and not questioning his orders.

"Where are we going boss?" Mickey wondered.

"To get a bed," Jack responded. There was suppose to be a small break room next to the locker rooms but it really wasn't used. They had a few chairs in there and a telly but for the most part no one went in there. Ianto and Gwen had been asking him for years to get a bed for the room so that when they had to work nights they had a place to sleep. Martha had also asked for a better bed for the room so that she could treat his team when necessary. Jack had resisted, not seeing it as a necessity. Watching the Doctor sleep on the couch had changed his mind. Jack was finally going to get them it but only because he wanted the Doctor to be more comfortable while he healed so that he didn't just run.

They took the van rather then one of the SUV's so they could get the bed back quickly. It was a quick drive to the bed store in Cardiff. Once there he bought the best mattress they had along with a frame for it. He also grabbed a small table that could double as a nightstand if necessary. They loaded the items into the van before driving to a second store. There he picked up pillows, blankets and the softest comforter he could find. They drove back to the hub and unloaded the items into the small room, setting up the bed. Martha appeared but didn't say anything before she just turned and out left. A moment later she appeared again with an IV stand and a pair of sleeping trousers.

"Thank you Jack. I was just about to drag him back to the autopsy room because I didn't want to put him on an IV while on the couch. Plus now he will be closer to my lab if he needs anything so I don't have to keep going across the hub," Martha informed Jack. He smiled at her sadly.

"I just want to help him," Jack informed her. Once the bed was set up, Jack cleared out of the room so that Mickey and Martha could bring the Doctor into it. He headed up to his office to begin working on hacking into the traffic camera footage and finding out who was impersonating him.

-DW-

"Time to wake up again," Martha cooed as she pulled the blanket down off the Doctor's face. He groaned at her, pulling his arm out of the blankets to offer it to her, without opening his eyes. She laughed. "I am going to put an IV in but I need you to move again first."

"I'm comfy," The Doctor protested, not wanting to go back to the hard autopsy room bed. Granted the couch didn't feel much better at the moment but the only other option he had been told was Jack's bed and he didn't want that.

"I know, but come on we have a better place for you to sleep now," Martha informed him. The Doctor opened his eyes slightly as she pulled the blanket down off of him. He groaned as Mickey lifted him up in his arms. He didn't protest as his world swayed and he gagged. Mickey quickly set him down again, getting out of the way just in time.

"Sorry," He moaned, falling to his side on the couch. He reached for the blanket, but Martha moved it.

"Let's try again," Martha commented. She nodded at Mickey. Being careful to avoid the sick on the floor, he picked the Doctor up slower. The Doctor kept his eyes opened as he was carried through the hub to a door near the autopsy room. "This is our break room, but it is going to be your room until you feel better."

"K," The Doctor sighed. He was carried through the door and sat down in the chair beside the bed. He looked at Martha confused.

"Before you go back to sleep I want you to get out of those dirty trousers. You can also take a shower if you want to. There is a locker room right next door and Mickey can help you to bathe," Martha informed him.

"I just want to go back to sleep," He told her. Mickey left the room to give them privacy as Martha helped him change into the new pair of trousers. His hips were a black and blue mess of bruises that had to make sleeping on his side the last few hours painful. He didn't protest as she handed him a wet cloth, letting him clean up a little before pulling his new trousers on. He didn't notice as she set the ones he was wearing along with the cloth in a bag so she could take them down to her lab. He was just grateful that she allowed him to climb into the bed without any further protest.

"I know you hate IV's but I am going to put one in for now. When you are able to drink again then we can remove it," Martha informed him as she tucked the blanket up around him. He snuggled down under it, taking a deep breath. The bed was brand new but he could smell Mickey, Jack and Martha on the blankets as they had set up the bed. It wasn't overwhelming though. He moved his arm back out of the blanket for her to put the IV in. She was right and he hated them. He thought they were itchy but at the moment he was too sick to care. He needed the fluids in order to get better and the thought of tea made him want to get sick again. Martha was quick though, finding a vein in the back of his hand on the first attempt. She then taped the IV in place.

"Thank you Martha," The Doctor said as he moved his hand under the blanket. "I will leave as soon as I feel better so you can have your break room back."

"Don't even think about that now. Just take the time that you need to rest and heal. We rarely use this room anyways. There is a telly if you want to watch it, I put the remote on the nightstand for you," Martha informed him.

"I just want to sleep," He answered her. He stretched out, happy that he could move his sore muscles. The bed was extremely comfortable. Not as nice as the one in room on the TARDIS but still better then the couch. He closed his eyes and let himself drift off once more. Martha waited until he was asleep before she picked up his clothes and headed back to the lab.

-DW-

Jack was beginning to think that the guy was a ghost. It was crazy to think and he knew it. He just couldn't find any evidence the man existed beyond what happened to the Doctor and setting the weevils loose in the residential area. There was no evidence of the man on the traffic cameras nor had there been any new problems since then. Jack wasn't stupid enough to believe that he was done though. What worried him was the fact that he had no idea what the man was planning next. He didn't even have an idea what the man looked like besides the Doctor saying the man looked like him. The Doctor was too traumatized by his ordeal for Jack to have anyone question him further.

He leaned back in his chair, staring at the computer screen. He was at a loss of what to do now. He couldn't check on Gwen's work until he was cleared at the morning meeting. Standing up, he went to his cupboard and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He poured himself a glass of it. He wasn't going to drink enough to get drunk, but he had to take the edge off somehow. Normally he would go to Ianto for a quick lay but he wasn't in the mood at the moment. Every time he thought of sex, he would picture the Doctor tied to the bed. The helpless look on his face, as he stared at Jack, broke his heart. He could clearly see the bruises the man had left on the Doctor's hips and the ropes cutting into his wrist. He downed the cup of whiskey, pouring himself another. He changed his mind, he was going to get drunk, after all. Anything that would help him to forget.

-DW-

The next time Martha went into check on the Doctor, she immediately knew that something was wrong. She had been busy in her lab and missed checking on him as quickly as she had been when he first got there. Still she had received no word that he was trying to leave so she thought that he was sleeping soundly in his new bed. Entering the room, she pulled the blankets down slightly so that she could see his face. It was then that she realized how wrong she had been. For while he was still in his bed, he was now shivering in his sleep even as sweat glistened on his forehead. She placed a hand gently on his cheek, feeling that his normally cool skin was warm to the touch.

"Come on Doctor wake up," Martha cooed softly as she tried to wake the Doctor. He didn't groan or make any attempt to swat her away from him. Moving the blanket down further, she exposed his shoulder. "Open those brown eyes for me," She said a little more firmly. She rubbed her knuckles across his shoulder trying to agitate him into opening his eyes. He still didn't respond to her though and she was starting to get worried that he wasn't responding. Giving up on trying to wake him for the moment, she turned to figuring out what had gone wrong. The drugs were clearing his system, not as quickly as she would have liked, but he was still showing improvement. Pulling out a stethoscope, she placed it on his chest, listening to both hearts. His right heart was slightly faster than the left, but that wasn't unusual for him. Not since he had been cursed by the Caronite.

Moving down, she carefully removed the bandage from his bicep. The skin around the bite wound was bright red. She was going to have to clean the bite again and get him on antibiotics. The problem was she was going to have to test to make sure that the antibiotic wouldn't have a reaction to the drugs already in his system. If she didn't she could kill him even as she tried to save his life. Before going to get the supplies she needed to clean his arm, she removed the bandages from both his wrist. Both of them were just as inflamed as his bicep. She had been wrong. The man who had drugged the Doctor knew exactly what he was doing. He had ensured that the Doctor couldn't just be treated for his wounds. Instead, it was going to take time to make sure that he could be safely medicated and the longer she waited to treat the infections the worse it was going to be for him.

"Mickey I need you to find the TARDIS," Martha called out as she practically ran back down to her lab to grab a clean syringe. She returned quickly to the Doctor's side.

"What is going on?" Mickey asked as he came to the doorway. Jack was standing slightly behind him, but she didn't have time to be worried about whether or not this was Jack's fault. She swabbed a place on the Doctor's arm.

"He is developing infections in all of his wounds. I can't give him antibiotics until I know how they are going to interact with the drugs in his system. It will take too long for me to test the drugs against the antibiotics to make sure I don't kill him. What I need you to do is take his blood to the TARDIS and have her test it. She can tell you if there is anything he can safely take," Martha explained. She gently inserted the needle. She finally got a reaction out of him as he moaned softly, making a feeble attempt to pull his arm away. She made gentle shushing sounds but didn't stop her work.

"Do you know where she is?" Mickey asked.

"No," Martha answered. She removed the needle from his arm, capping it to make it safe.

"I have an idea. He was heading towards the TARDIS when I called you. I don't know how close he was, but it is as good of a place to start as any," Jack informed them. Martha nodded. "I will go with you and show you where we were."

"Are you alright to drive boss?" Mickey asked slightly concerned with the smell of whiskey on Jack's breath.

"I'm not driving," Jack answered. Mickey took the syringe from Martha, heading out of the hub with Jack. He thought that he was going to be the one driving the SUV so he was slightly surprised when Jack headed across the Plas rather than to the carpark. Jogging slightly to keep up with him, Mickey hoped that he was heading in the right direction.

Meanwhile, Martha set to work on making sure the Doctor was as stable as possible. She ran through his vitals first before taking his temperature via his ear, she found that it was almost a degree and a half higher than normal. She needed to cool him down and quickly. She got a cloth wet with cold water and then wrung it out. She laid it across his forehead before grabbing another cloth and cleaned his face with it. She then cleaned the wounds on his body using another clean cloth and warm water. After she loosely bandaged them to keep them dry. Debating with herself for a moment, she left the room once more returning with a catheter. She didn't know how long he was going to be out and with the IV running she decided it was necessary.

"Doctor if you can hear me, I am going to place a catheter for you," She told him. He didn't respond to her. She placed the tube for him, getting another groan in the process. He really wasn't going to be happy with her when he woke fully but hopefully he would have medicine in his system that would make him feel better by then. She really didn't want to deal with a grumpy Time Lord who wanted to run. Still it would be better than the quiet one who had come to Torchwood. Finishing up, she pulled his blankets back up to his chest before settling down to wait for Mickey to return.

-DW-

"Here," Mickey told her as he returned to the hub with Jack in tow. They had found the TARDIS relatively easy. She was sitting in an alley only about a ten-minute walk to the HUB and they had covered that distance in half the time. She had hummed angerly at both of them about the Doctor being hurt. Mickey was surprised when she shocked him as he tried to explain that they needed the Doctor's blood to be tested. Despite her obvious anger, a panel had opened on the console and he had put the syringe inside of it. It didn't take long for the panel to open once more with a vial of medication.

"That was quicker than I expected," Martha told him as she took the vial. The TARDIS had labeled it in English for her. She had never heard of the medication and hoped that it was an antibiotic that he could take. "Did she say what it was for?"

"No, just that you needed to give it to him and quickly. She was actually angry that we hadn't come to her sooner," Jack answered. Martha nodded drawing up the correct dose. She inserted the needle into the cannula on the IV and emptied the syringe. While she trusted the TARDIS she wanted to know what she was giving him so that she could follow up with another medication if necessary.

"Mickey now that you know where the TARDIS is, go back and tell her we gave him the medication. I need to know what it is for and what she wants me to do next," Martha instructed. Mickey turned and headed quickly out of the hub once more as Jack stepped forward to the doorway.

"I have looked at the traffic cameras but I can't get a clear image of him. Are you any closer to having the DNA sorted, so we can find him?" Jack asked her.

"It is still processing. I will have an answer for you as soon as I know anything but right now my main priority is to keep the Doctor alive," Martha snipped slightly. It had already been a long day and it was starting to wear on her.

"As it should be," Jack informed her. He slid down the doorframe, sitting on the floor just outside the door. He couldn't stay in the room with Martha, but he wasn't going anywhere until he was sure that the Doctor was going to be okay.


	7. Chapter 7

Martha's cell phone rang a short time later and she opened it immediately. The first thing she heard was the hum of the TARDIS. Followed by Mickey swearing under his breath. She placed the phone on speakerphone that way Jack would be able to hear the call as well and she wouldn't have to relay everything.

"Are you all right?" Martha asked with concern at his swearing.

"Fine. She is just still unhappy with us for not coming to her about the Doctor sooner," Mickey explained. He was reading the monitor in front of him as the TARDIS displayed information on it. He was happy that she was at least cooperating with them but knew it was out of concern for the Doctor rather than being happy with them. "She says the medication you gave him was an antidote for the poisoning."

"He was poisoned?" Jack snapped, standing up from his place in front of the door. He came fully into the room so that he could hear the conversation better.

"It is apparently a slow acting poison from the 41st century. Hold on she is displaying more information," Mickey informed them going quite for a moment. The TARDIS monitor was full of information about the Doctor's blood, but Mickey was trying to summarize it rather than read everything that appeared on the screen. "She says that normally he could fight the poison but the drugs allowed it to go undetected. She agrees that he needs an antibiotic, but it is going to be at least another two hours before the drugs have cleared his system enough for you to administer one. Until then you just need to keep him as stable and comfortable as possible."

"Is there anything I can give him?" Martha asked slightly desperate. She didn't want to leave the Doctor without medication for another two hours and possibly even longer if his body didn't clear the drugs. He was suffering and unresponsive. She had been a doctor for Royale Hope Hospital and then for UNIT. She had treated many people and lost a few of them along the way. She could never remember feeling so helpless to treat somebody, except for during the year that never was. During that year, she had to walk away more than once from people who needed her help. She didn't have a choice as she didn't have the medication or the supplies to help them.

"I'm sorry Martha, but not at the moment. We have to wait or risk making him worse," Mickey apologized. When he finally got a chance to have a moment alone with Martha he knew that there were going to be tears shed. He would hold her until she was ready to talk as he had done on many nights in the past.

"It's not your fault," Martha answered.

"She wants to be closer to the Doctor so that she can help him," Mickey told them.

"I'm not going to risk transporting him to the TARDIS with someone out to kill him," Martha commented.

"I can drive the TARDIS here," Jack told them. Martha looked at him wearily. "I didn't hurt the Doctor. The TARDIS would have done more than just shock me for not bringing his blood sooner if I was the one responsible. He taught me how to drive her short distances when I traveled with him before. I am sure I can make the short jump into the hub." Jack didn't give her a chance to argue him before he turned and left the room.

"I will keep an eye on him babe," Mickey told her over the phone.

"I know, just be careful. I love you and don't want you to get hurt. Even if he isn't responsible for what happened to the Doctor, he can have a temper when he is angry," Martha warned Mickey. Mickey just resisted the temptation to laugh at her. He had met Jack before her, when they traveled together with the Doctor. He had been on the receiving end of Jack's temper in the past. Sure Jack was strong, but he wasn't worried.

"I'll be fine," He reassured Martha. He hung up the phone with her as he waited for Jack to appear. Jack made it to the TARDIS in record timing. He wasn't as assured as the Doctor was as he made his way around the console getting her ready for the short leap. She was able to communicate with him telepathically though and helped guide his movements. Within no time, they were materializing within the hub, near the room the Doctor was in. The Doctor groaned as the TARDIS arrived, her engines filling the hub with a familiar noise that he had always claimed to love. At the moment, it permeated his dreams.

"Waking up," Martha tried hearing him groan. She stood and rubbed his shoulder in a vain attempt to rouse him. He was still too far out of it to care that they were worried about him. He didn't even react when a moment later the hub shook as an explosion sounded above them. Martha was thrown off of her feet, landing hard on the ground beside the bed.

"What the hell happened?" Jack questioned as he threw the door to the TARDIS open and stormed out. He ran to the visitors center, looking out at the car park in front of him. His SUV was laying on its side engulfed in flames. Jack stared at in disbelief.

"Gwen is on the phone with the fire department," Mickey told Jack as he joined him by his side. He stared at the flaming SUV as well. It was an obvious message that the man knew where they were.

"Get Ianto on the phone and back to the hub now. From now on I don't want anybody leaving the hub alone until this man is caught," Jack instructed. Mickey pulled out his phone to call Ianto. The phone rang through to Ianto's voicemail. He hung up and immediately called Ianto again.

"He's not answering," Mickey informed Jack slightly worried.

"Keep trying him," Jack snipped at Mickey. He wasn't in the mood for this. He was worried enough about the Doctor without being worried about his now lover as well. He really wanted to make the person who was responsible pay for the chaos he was causing.

"Ianto," Mickey said when on the fifth try he finally answered the phone. Jack didn't give him a chance to finish before taking the phone out of his hand.

"Ianto, I need you back at the hub," Jack told him, ignoring the glare on Mickey's face.

"There was another weevil attack about a half an hour ago. I am on my way to it," Ianto started to explain.

"Come back to the hub first and then you and Gwen can go out. I don't want you out there alone," Jack practically begged his lover. He could hear sirens in the distance. "I have to go but I expect you back here soon."

"I'm on my way," Jack hung up the phone. "Take care of this." He told Mickey heading back into the hub. The police were already not happy with him. Now he had an explosion on Torchwood property to add. He slammed his fist into the hub door. Ignoring the pain in his fingers, he headed back onto the TARDIS. Jack turned though as he went to the TARDIS and instead went to his office. Logging into his computer, he pulled up the CCTV footage for the hub. Fast forwarding through it, he watched as he and Mickey left the hub together to go to the TARDIS. A few minutes after they left, he saw a man who looked exactly like him come out of the shadows by the hub. The man walked over to the SUV and disappeared beneath the front of it. Jack slowed the tape and watched as he returned to the hub with Mickey. He kept watching until his SUV exploded, but the man never came out of under the front of the SUV. There was no way he could have and it not be caught on the CCTV. Jack sat back scratching his head for a moment before rewinding the tape. He played it until the man came out of the shadows and he got a clear look at him. There on the man's arm was a vortex manipulator.

"It wasn't me," Jack whispered in disbelief. He grabbed the trash bin next to his desk as he became ill. He had refused to believe that at any time in his life he could become the sort of man who would willingly rape another. Sure he had been a con man and did things he was ashamed of for money. Rape was never one of those things. He saw sex as an act that two consenting adults shared and never had a problem finding a willing partner. He didn't understand how that would change in the future.

Growing angry he took his hand and swept all of the papers off his desk with a single slide of his arm. He screamed as he kicked the desk, moving it back away from him. It wasn't him. He knew it wasn't him. He just had to prove it. Martha was working on the DNA but with the Doctor having taken a turn for the worst, her main focus was going to be keeping him alive until he recovered. Jack also knew that he couldn't just go and test the DNA himself. No one at the hub would believe him if he did. He looked at the screen to see his double still standing on it.

"You can't hide forever. One of these days, you are going to have to face me and when you do, I swear I am going to make you pay," Jack told the screen. For just a moment, Jack thought he heard someone laughing at him. Grabbing the bottle of whiskey, he took a long drink of it. It burned all the way down his throat, settling hard in his stomach. That was alright though. Any monster who was capable of hurting his friend in such a horrific way deserved the pain. He set the bottle of whiskey back in the cupboard, closing it tightly. He didn't have time to wallow in self pity. He had a job to do. Standing up once more he headed to the Doctor's room.

"How is he doing?" He asked Martha as he stood in the doorway. She was standing over the doctor with her stethoscope on listening to his hearts. His right heart was still beating strongly, but his left was giving out on him. He could survive with just one heart beating but it was extremely uncomfortable for him and he needed both hearts to function normally.

""His breathing is starting to detoriate," Martha stated. "I need to get him either into the medi-bay on the TARDIS or back into the autopsy room. This room doesn't have the set up I need in order to monitor him correctly." She needed to hook the Doctor up to a heart monitor and a blood oxygen reader at the very least.

"Do you trust me?" Jack questioned Martha. Martha narrowed her eyes at Jack.

"Why does that matter at the moment?" Martha questioned slightly annoyed.

"It matters because I can either go and try to get Mickey away from the police and firemen. Depending on what is happening up there that could take a while. We could also just sit here and wait for Ianto to get back to the hub, but I don't know where he was when I called him. If you trust me though, I could just pick the Doctor up and carry him into the medi-bay," Jack explained to her looking at her out of the side of his eyes. Martha debated with herself for a moment. If she let Jack pick the Doctor up it could scare him even more, if he woke up. There was a very good chance that he wouldn't be waking up though, unless they moved him.

"Do it," Martha said after a moment. She grabbed the IV bag as Jack leaned down to pick up the Doctor. It was the first time that he had been close to the Doctor since he had found him in the room. The Doctor seemed paler than normal and Jack could hear the soft rasp of the Doctor trying to breathe. Jack resisted the urge to caress the Doctor's cheek or kiss him on the forehead. Instead he pulled the blanket back, lifting the Doctor carefully into his arms. The Doctor was limp and Jack cuddled him close being extremely cautious. Martha grabbed the IV bag and the three of them went on to the TARDIS.

As they entered the TARDIS hummed sadly, blowing warm air towards them. The Doctor didn't react for his precious ship as he was carried through to one of the medi-bay beds. Jack laid him upon the one that had blankets and a pillow already turned down on it. Martha hung up the IV bag on the stand. She then unclipped it from the Doctor's arm so that she could remove his shirt. Jack helped her. As the Doctor lay shirtless in front of him, Jack realized that he could almost count all of the Doctor's ribs. He had been too shocked by the sight in front of him at the bar to take note on how skinny the Doctor had become. He was normally skinny but it had reached the point of almost skeletal. He was traveling alone again, Jack decided. When he had a companion they at least made sure he slowed down long enough to eat something and rest. When he was on his own, it was something that he didn't normally think about.

"Jack," Martha said softly, snapping him out of staring at the Doctor. Seeing the pain in Jack's eyes banished the thought once and for all that the Jack she was with had anything to do with the Doctor's suffering. "His oxygen levels are only in the mid 80s. Can you get an oxygen tank for me?"

"I will go get one from the supply closet," Jack informed her. She nodded not moving from the Doctor's side. On the way there though he kicked the side of a rather large oxygen tank that suddenly appeared in his way. He swore under his breath and the TARDIS hummed at him.

"Sorry," he apologized, not quite sure why. She was the one who had set it in his way. He lifted the tank up, limping slightly as he headed back to the Doctor's side. Instead he fitted the oxygen mask over the Doctor's mouth and nose, turning it on for him. Martha adjusted the output of oxygen for him based on what the reader was showing her. A drawer opened next to the bed and a vial of medicine and a syringe was within it. Martha reached for immediately.

"I already gave him this," She informed the TARDIS as much to her disappointment she saw it was the antidote again. The TARDIS hummed at her, blowing cold air. Understanding that he needed it again, she drew up a second dose. She inserted the needle into the cannula, emptying it slowly.

"Have you started to test the rope?" Jack asked Martha. She shook her head no at him.

"I was still working on his blood and the DNA from the semen when he took a turn for the worse. The rope is sitting on my desk in the lab if you want to start working on it," Martha offered. It was a gesture of faith on her part but Jack was willing to take it. The rope probably wouldn't tell them much but at least he was finally able to help with the Doctor.


	8. Chapter 8

Ianto arrived back to the hub as the firemen continued to try to put out the SUV. He had seen the flames as he approached the hub but hadn't realized they were coming from the hub until he got closer. Parking about a block away, he practically ran the last of the way to the hub. Mickey was standing outside the hub with the police. He looked around trying to spot anyone else from the Torchwood team as he rushed to Mickey's side.

"What happened?" He asked as he looked at the flaming wreckage.

"Someone blew up Jack's SUV.

"Was he?" Ianto wondered in concern. It didn't matter to him that Jack was immortal. Everytime Jack died and came back it was painful to see. Especially the more gruesome deaths. He had watched on in horror one time as Jack's arm reattached itself to his body.

"No, we were all in the hub when it happened," Mickey answered. Ianto didn't give him a chance to say more. He hurried into the hub, through the visitor's entrance. Jack was coming out of the autopsy room. Sighing in relief, he covered the distance in a few steps. Ianto wrapped his arms tightly around Jack pressing their mouths together. Jack dropped the rope that was in his hands as his own arms went around Ianto's back pulling him close. They fought for dominance in the kiss, neither one of them wanting to relinquish it.

"I was so worried," Ianto informed him between kisses.

"I'm fine," Jack reassured him. He was the one finally pulled away as Ianto's hands slid down his chest. He could have stood there all day tasting Ianto's mouth, but he wasn't ready to indulge in the rest of his body again. Not yet. He couldn't tell Ianto that though. He was Captain Jack Harkness, so instead he went with a partial truth. They both had jobs to do. He leaned down, picking up the rope that he had abandoned. "I need you to get Gwen before you head out again."

"Sir," Ianto answered slightly confused at the rejection.

"Get as much information as you can from the weevil attacks. I want you both out in the field working. If you hear anything that sounds unusual, investigate it immediately. I don't care how small. Is that understood?" Jack told him walking towards the TARDIS.

"Yes sir," Ianto replied. He turned to go get Gwen, though he wasn't quite sure where in the hub she was.

"Oh and Ianto be careful. We don't know what this man looks like or what he is capable of," Jack lied. He knew exactly what the man looked like, but he couldn't warn Ianto or give him a code word so that could use. If it really was himself from the future, he would remember that code word and use it against Ianto. He was sure of that at least. Jack wanted to be out in the field protecting his team as he would never forgive himself if more died under his watch. He had other work to do now though. Moving back onto the TARDIS, he realized the lights in the control room were flashing. He didn't even think about it as he ran the short way to the medi-bay.

"How long?" He asked not stopping until he was at the Doctor's side. The Doctor was in the midst of a seizure, writhing around on the bed.

"He was tonic for about a minute, now has been in the colonic stage for just over a minute," Martha answered. She watched on, waiting and hoping that he would come out of the seizure without intervention. She had little hope at this point for the Doctor's full recovery. She would still do everything in her power to keep him alive, but his body was failing quickly.

"That's enough now," Jack told the Doctor softly after another minute passed.

"I agree you are just being silly," Martha cooed. The Doctor ignored them as he continued to seize for almost five minutes before going completely still on the bed. The monitors showed that his left heart had finally stopped on him, but his right heart was beating still.

"Take a breath Doctor," Jack begged him as he laid there limp. He carefully rolled the Doctor onto his side into the recovery position. There was no attempt on the Doctor's part though to draw even a single breath.

"I am going to have to intubate him," Martha said as she grabbed the tube.

"Just give him a moment," Jack snapped at her, not wanting to see the tube forced down the Doctor's throat. "Come on Doctor, just breathe. Don't give up now. You are stronger than this." Jack whispered softly to the unresponsive man.

"Jack." Martha reached out, placing a hand on the Doctor's shoulder to roll him onto his back again. She couldn't wait any longer to intubate him. The Doctor chose that moment though to take a breath. It was only a quick little gasp as if he were testing the air. He didn't wait long before he took another, finally falling into a normal breathing pattern.

"There you go. Please, don't do that again." Jack couldn't help himself as he kissed the Doctor on the head in relief. The Doctor was still wearing an oxygen mask but at least he didn't have a machine breathing for him. The Doctor remained unresponsive. Martha helped him onto his back once more so that she could monitor him better. She looked hopefully at the small drawer beside his bed. The drawer remained closed though as there was still no medications that she could safely give him. He just had to wait a little bit longer. She hoped it wasn't too much longer. Even if she could give him an antibiotic and other medications that he desperately needed at this point, she wasn't sure it was going to be enough in time.

"He can't take much more," Martha said sadly as she fixed the Doctor's blankets.

"Don't give up on him yet," Jack told her, looking her straight in the eyes. He picked up the forgotten rope once more, heading to the lab. He set it down on the worktable. He didn't stay in the lab as he instead headed to the kitchen, making both of them a cup of coffee. Bringing one to Martha, he sat down beside her in the medi-bay. They didn't say anything as they waited for what would come next.

-DW-

Gwen was working at one of the rift computers when Ianto found her. She had made little headway on the evidence though. The man had used a prepaid phone in the name of Gray Hurt. He had also rented the room above the bar in the same name. She recognized the names, of course. She would never forget Jack's brother Gray, who was currently in the autopsy room cryogenically frozen. It was because of him and a man called Captain John Hurt that Tosh and Owen were dead. She still had nightmares about it.

"I need you to come with me to the site of another weevil attack," Ianto told her as he approached her workstation.

"I still have a lot of work Ianto," Gwen replied. She was trying to get ahold of the call and message records for the cell. She was also fighting the police to get a warrant for the tapes the bar had on their CCTV. She didn't have time to go out in the field to deal with weevil attacks. Not if Jack wanted her to figure out who was responsible.

"The attacks are on purpose Gwen. We have to help these people," Ianto insisted.

"Did Jack send you?" Gwen wondered.

"Yes," Ianto answered her truthfully. She set down her pen and picked up her coat.

"Then let's go."

-DW-

"Do you ever wonder what you will be like in the future?" Jack asked finally breaking the silence. He looked at Martha as she took a sip of her coffee. She sat down the cup of coffee turning to look at him fully. "The Doctor changed me. When I first met him, I was a conman. I met him by trying to con him. In the end, I almost destroyed mankind's future. He forgave me though and ended up saving my life. It just made it hurt that much more when he left me behind. I spent years being angry with him, trying to forget how much I still loved him. I am over 2000 years old now and my love for him hasn't changed. I wonder how many years passed before the anger came back and I decided to hurt him."

"What do you mean?" Martha wondered.

"I saw the CCTV footage of the SUV exploding. I saw myself coming out of the shadows and rigging the SUV. What if the Doctor was right? What if I called him to that alley and forced myself upon him?" Jack questioned, his voice breaking. Martha had no answer for him. Jack was immortal, she couldn't say for sure that something wouldn't happen down the line that made him angry at the Doctor. She knew that the Jack she was sitting across from would never force himself upon the Doctor or anyone else. She had trusted him with her and Mickey's life on more than one occasion and had no reason to stop. Jack was a good man, that she knew. Jack though was pleading with her to tell him that it wasn't him that hurt the Doctor.

"Keep an eye on him for a moment. I am going to go get the DNA from the hotel room. The TARDIS can tell us once and for all if you were responsible," Martha told Jack.

"And if I am?" Jack's voice was so low that she barely heard him. Standing up she went to him.

"Then we will figure it out from there," Martha replied. She gave Jack a quick hug before heading off of the TARDIS. She had to move quickly as she didn't want to miss the opportunity to give the Doctor the medication he desperately needed. The moment that drawer opened beside his bed, she was going to give him whatever medication was in it without question. She trusted the TARDIS to keep her driver alive and diagnose him correctly. If she had to by herself it could be more time the Doctor didn't have. As quickly as possible, she grabbed the samples she had collected and returned to the medi-bay. Jack was still sitting where she left him. He had gone pale and she worried that he was going to faint.

"Jack?" She questioned.

"I'm fine," he responded. He took a drink of his coffee, his hand shaking so badly that he spilled some down the front of his shirt. He didn't seem to notice though. Martha turned to the monitor on the TARDIS.

"I need you to test the DNA in this sample and tell us who it belongs to," Martha told her. The TARDIS hummed at her opening the drawer. For just a moment, Martha was hopeful that the drawer would contain medication. So much so, that she couldn't hide her disappointment to find that it was empty. She decanted the sample she had collected into the drawer and closed. It took a few minutes before the information appeared on the screen.

"Well?" Jack wondered as she read it.

"It wasn't you," Martha sighed in relief. She had to admit that she had still wondered despite what she knew. Reading that Jack was innocent made her happy that she hadn't made the wrong choice to trust Jack again.

"You're sure," Jack questioned slightly in disbelief. He knew what he had seen on the footage. He stood up to look at the screen himself. There on it, he saw that the TARDIS had ruled him out. The person unfortunately was related to him though. He tried to think what the Doctor had called it when he had seen Gwen on the screen. Spatial genetic multiplicity. That was it. The person looked like him because he was related nothing more and he wasn't even related by a direct bloodline.

"Gray," Jack whispered. He didn't know if his long lost brother had children before he finally found John and then the two of them tracked him down. Gray could have multiple children out there all with a hatred for their uncle who had let their father be tortured. He had let go of Gray's hand, after all, when he was supposed to be protecting him. Gray had hated him enough to bury him beneath Cardiff. What if he had taught his children to hunt him as well? There were too many questions still and he needed to have answers. He felt confident again, now that he had been proven not to be involved.

"Jack? Are you back with me Jack?" Martha questioned as Jack stared at the screen. His eyes had glazed over slightly as he processed the information in front of him.

"Yeah," He answered shaking his head to clear his mind. "I am going to start testing the rope. I want to know if there was anything on it." He turned to head towards the lab once more. He paused though as he heard the Doctor's breath becoming more ragged. Turning back he could see the Doctor's chest rise slightly with one breath and then a slight pause before he let it out. He moved closer to the bed once more.

"Don't do this Doctor," Martha begged as the Doctor's breathing grew shallower. She grabbed the intubation tube as the Doctor took another slow breath. Martha watched as the Doctor breathed out one last time. The shrill sound of the heart monitor filled the air as his right heart finally stopped.


	9. Chapter 9

Martha immediately snapped into action as the shrill beep faded. He had walked away from a Time War that had destroyed his own people as well as a year that should have killed him. There was no doubt in her mind that he had walked away countless other times from things that should have killed him. He was stronger than this and she wasn't going to lose the Doctor. She wasn't sure why he wasn't regenerating, but she wasn't going to let that happen either. Jack removed the oxygen mask from the Doctor's face. With practiced ease, he tilted the Doctor's head back, lined up the scope and eased a tube down the Doctor's throat. Grabbing the Ambu-bag, he placed it over the Doctor's mouth and nose as well as the tube he had placed. Squeezing the bag, he forced a breath of air into the Doctor's lungs.

"You are not going anywhere," Martha informed the Doctor as she began to work to bring him back. She started chest compressions, making a decision to focus on his stronger heart. Relief filled her as the drawer beside the bed opened with a prefilled syringe. She grabbed it as Jack took over the compressions. She inserted it into the cannula on the IV.

"Come on Doc," Jack begged as he kept up trying to get his heart to start again. Yet as the minutes passed, Jack knew it was getting to be less and less likely they would be able to bring him back. In a human the longer they were gone the more likely it would be that they suffered brain damage. Jack wouldn't do that to the Doctor. Even as he kept up the compressions a part of him wondered if it wouldn't just be kinder to let the Doctor go. He wouldn't stay dead, of course, as Jack would stop at nothing to make sure the Doctor lived again. Even changing history if necessary. It was a selfish thought as if he did, he wouldn't have to earn the Doctor's trust again.

"Jack I think we need to call it," Martha said softly as another minute passed. His arms were getting tired and he couldn't keep up the compressions any longer but he wasn't giving up yet.

"No. I am not giving up on him," Jack snapped at Martha. He turned his eyes down to the Doctor. "Now you stop this nonsense." With renewed strength, Jack made the next few compressions harder than he meant to. The monitor blipped slightly as he watched it. He paused, watching it intently as it blipped again.

"You can do it," Martha encouraged as she stared at the monitor in disbelief. The blips became faster as the monitor showed that his heart was picking up speed. Jack sighed in relief leaning back to let Martha take over once more. As the Doctor made no attempt to breathe around the tube, Martha hooked it up to the ventilator, letting the machine take over his breathing. After he had received the medications that he needed, she would try to wean him off it. For now though, his right heart was beating and she was thankful for that much. She ran through his vitals as Jack stood by his bedside still. His legs felt numb and he was afraid that if he moved he would just fall so he stayed put.

"How is he?" Jack asked as she continued to check him.

"Alive," Martha answered. The Doctor's heart was beating and the machine was breathing for him. His pupil response was slow and he was still running a fever but he was alive. She looked up at Jack, seeing the doubt in his eyes. It wasn't much of a reassurance, but she didn't have a better answer for him. She couldn't tell him that the Doctor was going to wake up and be fine because she didn't know for sure that he was. She wasn't going to give her friend false hope. Jack would know that she was lying right away and it would hurt him even more, in the long run.

Jack sat down in the chair beside the bed hard and waited. He didn't know what he was waiting for, just that he couldn't leave the Doctor's side again. He sat holding his head in his hands, listening to the steady beep of the heart monitor and the hiss of the ventilator. He had gotten so use to their rhythms that when it was interrupted, his head shot up immediately.

"Finally." Martha couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face as she looked into the drawer. There inside of it was three separate vials of medication and syringes. She pulled them out reading each one in turn. The first two were the antibiotics the Doctor desperately needed and the third was one that helped with kidney function. She didn't mention that to Jack as she drew up the doses that the TARDIS recommended and for two of them she added them to a fresh IV bag, hanging it for the Doctor. She then drew up a dose of the antidote to the poison per the TARDIS's instructions. She added that to his IV as well. For the second antibiotic, she filled the syringe, then injected it into the Doctor's thigh.

"I am going to test the rope now," Jack informed Martha standing up. Now that the Doctor had the medication that he needed, Jack had high hopes that the Doctor would be waking up again soon. If he did, the last thing he would want to see was Jack sitting by his bedside. Jack dropped one last kiss on the Doctor's head before heading to the lab once more.

-DW-

The ride over to the second attack site was relatively quiet. Ianto drove as Gwen rested in the passenger seat. She was exhausted already from having to get up early to help Jack, but the day was far from over. She was going to take any opportunity that presented itself to rest as she had the feeling she was going to be pulling at least a triple shift before heading home. As they pulled into the neighborhood of the second weevil attack, Ianto quickly spun the SUV to sit against the curb causing the tires to squeal. Gwen swore at him, bracing herself against the dashboard with one hand as the seatbelt tightened. She could feel her heart pounding fiercely in her chest.

"Ianto what the..." She started to ask. She cut off midsentence as she stared in disbelief. There talking to one of the female citizens was Jack. How Jack had beat them to the scene of the crime, she wasn't sure. When they had left he was still in the TARDIS taking care of the Doctor. She moved to open the door. Ianto placed a hand on her leg to stop her.

"That's not Jack," Ianto informed her softly as he continued to watch the man.

"Of course it is. Who else could it be?" Gwen demanded to know.

"I don't know," Ianto answered her pulling out his phone. Jack had been his lover, his friend, and his boss for a while now. He had on more than one occasion stood just watching Jack work and interact with people. Though the man may have looked like Jack, his mannerisms were off. Where Jack always stood tall and confident, the man slouched slightly. He was also slightly shorter than Jack. Dialing Jack's number, he called him while keeping an eye on the man. The phone rang three times before he heard Jack answer.

"Yes, Ianto?" Jack wondered. He had just started to work on the rope and really didn't feel like talking. Gwen watched the other Jack continue to talk to the citizen. Though they could both hear Jack on the phone while the Jack standing in front of them had made no move to answer his.

"I was just wondering if you were coming out to the site of the second weevil attack?" Ianto questioned Jack trying to not give anything away. He should have known that Jack was too smart for that though.

"I am currently aboard the TARDIS working in the lab. I have no plans to head out to the site of the second attack and under no circumstances should you approach me if I am currently there, is that understood," Jack ordered Ianto. He wanted to tell Ianot to leave the site immediately but eventually they were going to have to catch the man. Still Jack knew only part of what the man was capable of and he wasn't going to put them willingly into danger. If the man decided to put another bomb under their SUVs, Jack would come back from it.

"Understood," Ianto responded. They stayed in the SUV watching the man talk to the woman. He seemed charming enough. He smiled at her and though they couldn't hear the words he was saying, she smiled back. As Ianto and Gwen observed the man, he stopped talking to the woman. He moved closer to the houses out of their direct line of site. Gwen pulled her gun out, ready to follow him if necessary. A loud cracking noise in the backseat caused Ianto to jump. He turned around in time to see Jack pointing a gun in his face.

"If you want to live, I suggest you turn around and drive," he ordered, his voice too high. Ianto started to turn around. As he did, Gwen whipped around to face the man, her own gun drawn. The sound of a gunshot filled the SUV. Not even a moment later another crack filled the SUV. Ianto tensed, waiting for the pain that didn't come.

"Missed," Gwen groaned. She reached behind them, picking up the dropped gun from the seat. Ianto dared to glance in the rearview mirror. The man was gone, leaving behind a bloodstained seat and a finger.

"That was a miss?" He asked in disbelief.

"I was aiming for his shoulder," Gwen replied. Ianto shook his head in disbelief. If Gwen had missed, he would have hated to see what would have happened if she would have aimed for his hand. Opening the door, he shakily got out of the vehicle. He straightened his tie and smoothed his suit. Acting like nothing just happened, he moved towards the site of the attack. He was Torchwood after all.

-DW-

Martha gave the medications time to start working before attempting to wean the Doctor off of the ventilator. She had to be careful with her timing as if she tried too soon he wouldn't be ready. That wasn't a problem as she could just turn the machine back on, but she didn't want to put any more strain on his body. Then there was the risk that if she waited too long, he could wake before she had a chance to remove the tube. While it was possible to be awake with one, she also knew it was a scary feeling to wake up with the tube down your throat and try to breathe. It had never happened to her personally but had seen it during her years as a doctor. The Doctor had been through enough trauma without adding that to the list.

"I am going to turn off the ventilator now and you are going to breathe on your own. Is that understood?" Martha asked him though she doubted that he heard her. She turned off the ventilator and waited. It took a moment, but the Doctor quickly realized he was going to have to make an effort to breathe on his own again. He took a shallow breath followed by another one.

"Well done!" Martha told him happily. Unhooking the machine, she left the tube down his throat as she placed an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. She was going to make sure his breathing remained steady before removing the tube. Then if he decided to stop breathing again, she wouldn't have to place the tube again. Even with him breathing again there was still a lot that she was worried about overall with his health. He would get there though, she was sure of it.

"The poison was on the rope," Jack snarled as he came into the medi-bay. "The man tied him to the bed and made him poison himself as he fought against the ropes holding him in place." Jack had barely calmed down since he came to the conclusion that the ropes had been poisoned. It had been simple to confirm with the TARDIS and then he had thrown the ropes. He was going to have to find them later, but at the moment he didn't care. He looked over at the sleeping Doctor, relieved to see that the ventilator had been turned off and he was breathing on his own again. Realizing that he could accidentally wake him, he lowered his voice. "How is he?"

"Breathing on his own, but otherwise the same," Martha answered sadly. "I am going to remove the tube in about half an hour if he continues to breathe cleanly. The TARDIS doesn't think he will wake up between now and then but she will alert me if he starts to wake sooner."

"Does she have an idea when he will wake?" Jack questioned.

"No, but there is nothing that is keeping him asleep. He will wake soon enough on his own. Then we have to be ready because he is still going to have to heal mentally before he is ready to travel again," Martha warned Jack. Jack nodded. He just hoped that he was allowed to help the Doctor heal.


	10. Chapter 10

As the half hour passed and the Doctor continued to breathe Martha prepared to remove the tube from his throat. She had been worried about his breathing deteriorating, but it had grown stronger and became more steady. Martha tilted his head back slightly as she carefully removed the tube from the Doctor's throat. He coughed and gagged around it, not fully waking up, but the groan that followed showed his dislike at having it. He lolled his head to the side before Martha could replace the oxygen mask over his face. Jack chuckled from where he stood watching on the other side of the medi-bay.

"Does he even still need the mask?" Jack wondered. He was staying out of the way in case the Doctor did wake up, but he was wearing his long coat, getting ready to leave the Doctor's side. He was going to head to the second site of the weevil attacks as Ianto had yet to update him since letting him know that his imposter was at the site. He was going to find the man and tie him up with his own ropes, letting him poison himself just like the Doctor had. Only he wasn't go to force himself on the man. He was better than that.

"I want him to keep it on until he is fully awake," Martha answered him. She tried to put the mask on the Doctor, but he made a conscious effort to turn his head to the other side. Keeping his face away from her.

"No," He moaned. He was awake enough to feel the air of the mask blowing against his face. His throat was scratchy and his mouth was dry though. He didn't want the horrible thing blowing cold air on him anymore.

"Alright I won't put the oxygen mask on you if you open your eyes for me," Martha tried to barter with him. He didn't respond to her or open his eyes, yet as the mask got close to his face again, he turned his head once more.

"Martha," He whined. Sighing she turned the oxygen off and sat the mask aside. Fully awake or not she wasn't going to get the mask back on him without a fight. Rather then distress him, she looked at the oxygen reader. His blood oxygen was in the high 90's so he could leave the mask off for now. If the levels fell again she was going to have to find a way to put the mask back on him.

"At least he is waking up," Jack said softly. Thankful the Doctor had survived. He was still very sick from the poisoning, but it was good to hear the Doctor's voice again. At Jack's words though the Doctor forced his eyes open. Jack could see the fear in them as he looked around the medi-bay.

"Jack no," He whimpered. His eyes settled on Jack on the far side of the medi-bay and he stared at him wearily.

"Doctor, I want you to listen to me for a moment," Martha told the Doctor softly. She reached out, taking his hand in hers. He held hers back tightly as he continued to watch Jack.

"K," He answered her.

"Are you listening?" She wondered.

"No," He admitted. He didn't want Jack on his TARDIS. He really didn't know how he got on the TARDIS as the last thing he remembered was falling asleep on the bed in the small room in Torchwood. He was feeling just as poorly as when he had closed his eyes before but he couldn't sleep with Jack standing there. Martha turned to look apologetic at Jack.

"I was just leaving," Jack told them both heading to the door and out of the medi-bay. The Doctor watched him leave. As soon as Jack was out of the medi-bay, his grip on Martha's hand loosened. He smacked his lips, turning his head to the side as he closed his eyes once more.

"No sleeping just yet," Martha scolded him. "You need to have a drink of water and listen to what I have to say." He glared at her as his eyes opened again. "Don't give me that look."

"I'm sleepy," He complained at her.

"I understand that. I promise that I will be quick." Martha held a cup of water out for him. She directed the straw to face his mouth and held it for him while he latched on to it, taking a sip. "Now while you have been sleeping we have been running test. We figured out from the test that it wasn't Jack who is responsible."

"Martha, I'm tired," The Doctor tried again. He didn't want to talk about what happened to him at the moment. A part of him knew that it wasn't Jack from the moment he saw the man standing at the end of the alley. Regardless of whether or not it was Jack though, he couldn't look at Jack without seeing his attacker. He really didn't like being afraid of Jack. Jack had stood by his side so many times in the past. Jack had also given him strength aboard the Valiant when he was ready to just give up.

"Sleep," Martha said softly. She ran her finger's behind his ear, soothing him as he closed his eyes. His breathing didn't even out again right away as he lay awake. The gentle caress felt good, but it didn't soothe him the way Jack use to. Without even being able to touch each other beyond their fingertips, Jack use to reassure him that he was there and everything was going to be alright. Now the thought of Jack touching him made him cringe. He barely had time to open his eyes and roll away from Martha before getting sick on the TARDIS floor. He coughed and gagged getting sick again.

"It's alright," Martha reassured him as he continued to get sick. They both knew though that it really wasn't alright and the Doctor wasn't sure if it would be again while he was in this body.

-DW-

The neighborhood was calmer than the last one. People were inside of their homes rather than lining the streets. That made Ianto uneasy. If there had been more weevils released, he would expect people to want answers, not hide away in their homes. The man who looked like Jack had been talking to a woman and looking around, Ianto realized that she was the only one outside. Sensing a trap, he made the decision not to talk to her but instead turned to go to the first house on his right. The home looked like all the rest in the neighborhood, with a simple picket fence out front. A garden was in full bloom, its colors bright against the green grass. As he approached the door, he saw that it was open a jar.

"Hello," Ianto called out. "My name is Ianto Jones from Torchwood. Can I speak with you a moment." There was no answer from within. Looking around, he carefully pushed the door open. "Hello?" He moved further into the house looking around. As he moved into the sitting room he saw exactly why they weren't answering. Laying half on the couch was an elderly couple. The weevil who killed them was still at their feet, a single gunshot wound to its head. As he moved further into the room, a dog barked at him. He looked over to see a small white dog jumping against the glass back door. Ianto disregarded the animal as he looked back at the weevil.

"This doesn't look right," Gwen said coming in behind Ianto.

"I agree, Weevils attack using their teeth and their claws. Where are the bite wounds?" Ianto asked her. She shrugged as she knelt down next to the man. Placing her fingers on his neck she felt for a heartbeat, then did the same for the woman. Finally, she checked the weevil. The weevil seemed colder then the couple which wasn't right. Weevils had a similar body temperature to humans.

"We need to get Martha to perform autopsy's and find out the cause and time of death," Gwen stated.

"I agree, something about this doesn't seem right," Ianto told her. Without looking at each other, they both unclipped their guns and took them in their hands. Moving to the next house they found that the people inside were alive and just sitting down to dinner. Ianto glanced around the door. There was a mother as well as an infant in the house. They had no animals nor was there any evidence to suggest they knew what happened to the elderly couple next door. The man who answered had nothing about good things to say about the quiet neighborhood.

It was two more house down before they found a similar scene to the first house. A father and a mother had both been killed. There was evidence that the couple had two daughters but after searching the house, they weren't sure where the children were.

"Should we put out an alert on the missing girls?" Gwen asked Ianto.

"Not yet," Jack answered coming into the house. Both of them turned, pointing their guns at Jack as he raised his hands.

"You weren't coming out here sir," Ianto informed him. He lowered his gun as he saw that both hands had all their fingers. Jack's tone of voice was right so was the way he held himself, giving Ianto to doubt that they were talking to the real Jack. Gwen kept her gun pointed at him though as she didn't believe it was Jack as quickly.

"I changed my mind when I didn't hear from you. I wanted to make sure that you were alright," Jack informed Ianto. "Put the gun down Gwen."

"Prove it is you," Gwen told him. She could clearly see Jack had all his fingers as well, but she still had her doubts.

"I retconned you on out first meeting and won't hesitate to do it again unless you let me do my job," Jack informed Gwen as he lowered his hands. Gwen shrugged and lowered the gun as well, not putting it away fully.

"I want you to go door to door, find out how many are dead Gwen. Ianto you and I are going to start moving the bodies into the SUV. I don't want the others in the neighborhood alerted to what is going on," Jack told them. It wasn't standard practice to use the SUV but Jack wasn't sure who he could trust at the moment and didn't want to get the police involved. If the other Jack was monitoring the police scanner, he would know what they were up to.

"Shouldn't we have Mickey bring the van sir?" Ianto wondered as he looked at the young couple.

"The Doctor is still very sick and Martha is taking care of him. I want someone there who can guard them if necessary," Jack informed Ianto. Ianto nodded, not able to argue Jack's logic on leaving Mickey at the hub. Together they discretely as possible moved the six bodies to the SUV. Gwen went from house to house discovering two more bodies only one of which was human. As Gwen moved from between the houses, she recognized the woman who had been talking to the imposter. She smiled as she greeted her.

"I am from Torchwood and I just have a few questions for you," Gwen informed her. Gwen held up her badge for the woman to look at. The woman looked closely for a moment before finally talking.

"I spoke to your colleague earlier," The woman informed her.

"I understand that, I just have a few follow-up questions. Have you seen or heard anything unusual in this neighborhood in the last few hours," Gwen asked the woman. The woman shook her head no.

"I will tell you the same thing I told your colleague. This is a quiet neighborhood and we don't have any wild animals or anything unusual in this area not since the government put drugs in the water causing us all to hallucinate that there were planets in the sky," the woman answered. Gwen couldn't help the smile that crossed her face as she tried not to laugh. At least now she knew why the other Jack had been smiling. The woman though closed the door in her face, effectively cutting off the conversation. Gwen finished her circle of the neighborhood making it back to Ianto and Jack.

"Everyone is alive and accounted for but these five," Gwen informed them. Jack had put the humans in one SUV and the weevils in the second in order to keep them separate. They were going to have to inform the families of the deaths, but he needed to work quickly to find out how they died before the police realized they were missing. They also needed to find the two little girls.

"Gwen drive the SUV back to the hub. Ianto and I are going to follow behind you. Once there, I want you to start working on finding out everything you can about these people. Leave absolutely nothing out as we need to know why he wanted them dead. Ianto you are going to start working on finding the little girls. Hopefully, if we can find them, we can find him," Jack ordered them. He climbed up into the driver's side of the second SUV, barely giving Ianto enough time to join him before heading back to the hub.

Five people had been killed in this neighborhood. That left the question of whether or not the other Jack had been interrupted in his work or if he had killed the five people for a reason. Jack hoped the autopsy would tell them something because the more he was learning the less he realized that he knew. He was going to have to talk to the Doctor to find out if there was anything else he knew that he hadn't told them. It was too soon to push the Doctor and he felt guilty for even considering it while he was still so sick. People were dying though and it was because of him. He just had to figure out why.


	11. Chapter 11

"Martha," The Doctor whimpered. It had been quiet in the TARDIS with just the two of them. He had been sleeping peacefully after getting sick. She on the other hand had no time to sleep as she still had the test to perform on the samples that were brought from the bar. She found it a little ironic and sad that their roles had been completely reversed and he was the one sleeping while she worked. Still it was easier to get the test done with the TARDIS's help. The problem was she wasn't finding out anything new. All the DNA she had been brought belonged to either the Doctor or the man who looked like Jack.

"I'm right here," Martha told him coming to his side. She gently smoothed his hair back as he looked up at her with sad eyes. "Do you want a nice hot cuppa?"

"I don't feel good," He informed her. She moved to grab the bucket for him to get sick in. She turned back around to see that the bucket wasn't going to be necessary.

"Another one," Martha cooed softly as the Doctor's body went rigid. He didn't stay in the tonic stage for long before his muscles spasmed. Thankfully it was over quickly and he immediately began to breathe on his own again. "See that wasn't so bad. Now open those eyes for me so that I can make sure you're alright."

"Martha, I don't feel good," The Doctor sighed as he listened to her. It took more effort than it should have for him to open them and even though he had just woke up all he wanted to do was to go back to sleep. It was the same conversation they just had, but Martha doubted he remembered the first one. Martha picked up the glass of water that was beside his bed and offered it to him.

"I know. Just have a drink of water and then go back to sleep," She told him. He leaned up taking a small sip. The water felt good on his sore throat. The drugs should have started to clear his system by now so he wasn't sure why he was feeling so horrible still. He wanted to ask, but he doubted that he would be able to pay attention to the answer. He normally should have been able to hold several trains of thought at once. At the moment even keeping one was hard. He fell back on the bed, sighing as he relaxed into the pillows once more.

"Martha?" He wondered as she fixed the blanket around him.

"Yes, Doctor?" He didn't get time to reply to her as the water he drank churned in his stomach. Thankfully she had the bucket nearby as he gagged and coughed. Martha helped him to hold the blanket as his stomach rejected the water.

"I'm sorry," He told her once he had relaxed into the bed again.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Martha informed him. The drawer beside the bed opened and Martha pulled out an anti-emetic. She injected it into the IV as the Doctor watched on. "What were you asking before?"

"I don't remember," He replied. That concerned him as he didn't tend to forget things so quickly. He was tired though. He yawned, pulling his blanket up over his head to sleep. Martha pulled it down again so that it was just to his neck. He scowled at her, squirming down so that he had his face partly buried in the blankets. Martha let it go as he drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

-DW-

Jack could barely control his anger as they arrived back at the hub. Ianto had told him about the incident with the impostor at the site. He was thankful that Gwen reacted quickly and saved their lives, as he had no doubts the man would have killed them. As soon as they got to the hub and moved the bodies into the morgue, he sent Gwen and Ianto out again to go and check on his daughter Alice and grandson Steven. The impostor was targeting people he cared about and he wasn't going to let them become a victim as well.

Heading into the TARDIS, he stood in the door of the medi-bay and watched the Doctor sleep. The Doctor was shivering slightly, despite being covered with a thick warm blanket. He looked miserable even in his sleep, but there was little more they could do for him at the moment. Martha was sitting beside the Doctor's bed, looking at a book. When she saw Jack though she came to his side.

"There have been more people killed. I need you to perform an autopsy on them and the weevils from the scene to determine cause and time of death," Jack told her getting right to business.

"He has had another seizure and is sick to his stomach. I don't want him left alone for even a minute in case he chokes or stops breathing again. You will have to get one of the others to sit with him if you want the autopsies started today," Martha informed Jack.

"I will get Mickey to sit with him. I also want Mickey to find out if the man who attacked him told him anything." Jack looked at Martha out of the corner of his eyes as she seethed slightly.

"We are not waking him to find out if that man told him anything. It isn't fair," Martha snipped.

"You're right it is not fair. We have five people confirmed dead, countless others injured and two little girls missing. He has not only taken the Doctor and raped as well as poisoned him, he tried to take Ianto and Gwen as well. My SUV was rigged with a bomb that could have killed anyone of us. So I am sorry, I truly am but I need to know if he said anything to the Doctor," Jack informed Martha. He felt like an ass, but he had to be, in this case.

"So that you know what it feels like to be betrayed by someone you thought you could trust," The Doctor's voice cracked as he said the words. Jack looked over sorry that he had woken the Doctor. The Doctor's face was still hidden by the blanket except for his eyes. They were staring at Jack with distrust in them. He was also trembling so hard that Jack was amazed the blankets remained in place.

"Is that what he told you?" Martha wondered. She hurried to the Doctor's side to take his hand in hers as he trembled. The Doctor nodded.

"What did you ask that made him tell you that?" Jack questioned. Martha tutted at him, but Jack didn't move.

"I asked him why," The Doctor told him. With that he began to gag again. Feeling horrible Jack left Martha to tend to the Doctor. He had performed autopsies in the past and he wasn't going to force Martha away from the Doctor when he was still so sick. Still if Mickey sat with the Doctor they could get the autopsies done faster. He wasn't going to suggest it again though as it made no sense to make everyone even madder at him when he was just trying to help them.

-DW-

To say that Jack butchered the first autopsy on the weevils would be an understatement. Though he managed to collect the information that he needed, the weevil had taken the majority of his anger. He stared down at the creature laying on the table as he considered the information he had found out. Gwen had been right to be suspicious of the coolness of the creature. He would have put the time of death sometime in the last 24-28 hours. That was long past the time that the people were killed. Also the creature appeared to be killed by a single gunshot wound to the head, but closer examination had found a needle puncture mark on its neck. Jack had taken a vial of blood and was positive he would find the same poison that had been used on the Doctor in the weevils blood stream.

"Interesting technique for an autopsy. Normally when I perform them, I try to keep the body intact," Martha commented as she came into the room. She had stayed with the Doctor until he had calmed down and drifted off to sleep once more. After she called Mickey to come and sit with him. Mickey was under strict orders to call her if the Doctor needed her. She had her doubts about leaving the Doctor's side, but she wanted to catch the man responsible just as much as Jack did. "I think it is fair to say that I will perform the autopsies on the humans."

"I'm sorry," Jack told her not looking up.

"I understand you're angry Jack. You can't let that anger control you," Martha said softly.

"I know," Jack answered. He continued staring at the weevil knowing exactly that had happened. He was better than that now. Though once he had let his anger drive him. After his father had been killed and his brother taken, he survived by being angry. It had destroyed the fragile relationship he had left with his mother and driven away anyone he had been close to. He had been telling the truth when he told the Doctor that he had been the first one from the Boeshane peninsula chosen to join the Time Agency. He hadn't told him though that it was his anger that led him to join with the belief he could change the past. The Time Agency changed him though and then the Doctor had made him a better man. Still after the Doctor left him on the game station he had let his anger rule his life once more. It had almost cost him his family again before he realized he had to move on. To be the man the Doctor had shown him he could be and not the man he was before.

"Do you need to talk about it?" Martha asked him sensitively.

"I need to find the man responsible for this and stop him before he can hurt anyone else," Jack informed her. He stood straighter as he turned to look at her. "I am going to take this body down to the morgue and then start on the next autopsy."

"Jack, I think you should slow down for a minute," Martha told him.

"I can't," Jack answered as he started to leave. Martha stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Then at least take a shower and have something to eat. You need more food then most people yet you haven't eaten since this started. You are going to end up burning yourself out," Martha commented. Jack nodded. Martha was right he did need to eat. Even if the thought of eating made him feel sick to his stomach. His autron energy fueled body was capable of burning through thousands of calories a day and it was possible for him to starve to death in a matter of days if he kept going at the same pace he currently was. If he died he would need to sleep longer and while he was sleeping he wasn't finding the man responsible.

"Will you order a pizza while I shower?" Jack questioned Martha.

"Of course." Martha smiled at him. He returned the smile weakly before returning the weevil body to the morgue. As he entered the showers he saw himself in the mirror for the first time. His clothes were covered in blood and his hair was a mess. He looked as though he had been in a fight and lost. It was no wonder Martha thought he needed a shower. Stripping off his clothes, he threw them into the bin. He went into the stall and turned on the water. The water spray hit him, the cold water feeling like ice against his hot skin. He forced himself to endure the freezing water. It was the beginning of his penance for not being able to save those people.

-DW-

Mickey sat next to the Doctor's bed working on his laptop. He was trying to find out anything he could about the man who was wrecking havoc in Cardiff but everything was a dead end. The man didn't exist as far as this century was concerned. He had seen the footage from the CCTV and tried to use facial recognition software to locate the man, but he was a ghost in the city. Finding him was going to be difficult. Almost as difficult as predicting where he was going to strike next.

"Mickey?" The Doctor groaned sounding confused to see Mickey next to his bed. "Where is Martha?"

"She had to help Jack with a project so you are stuck with me for a while," Mickey answered him. He closed his laptop and set it aside so that he could look at the Time Lord. The Doctor's eyes were red and he looked pale.

"K. Can I have tea?" The Doctor accepted.

"I will go make you a cup," Mickey answered. He laid his laptop down on his chair as he stood. As soon as he was out of the medi-bay the Doctor sat up. He groaned and gagged as he leaned over to get the laptop out of the chair. He didn't remember laptop's being so heavy though he didn't normally use one unless he was here on earth. Leaning back he opened it. It was quick work for him to get past Mickey's password and he was looking at the data on the laptop when Mickey came back.

"Oi," Mickey snapped as he came over to the bed. "Martha would kill me if she saw you on the laptop rather than resting."

"I am still resting," The Doctor answered Mickey. "Do you know where my sonic is?" He held on to the laptop as Mickey tried away.

"I am not getting your sonic," Mickey informed him.

"I can use the sonic to link the TARDIS to the laptop," The Doctor told him as Mickey got the laptop away from him. Mickey paused. The Doctor waited hopeful, that Mickey would let him help. If it was Martha in the room he knew that he wouldn't stand a chance of linking the two, but Mickey was different. Though Mickey could see he was sick, he still held himself straighter in Mickey's presence. He couldn't help it.

"Can she help me locate information about the man, even if he isn't from the twenty-first century?" Mickey asked. The Doctor rolled his eyes at Mickey as he mumbled the word idiot.

"Of course," He said louder. Mickey debated with himself for a moment before heading out of the medi-bay once more. He returned a moment later with the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. He handed the Doctor his laptop and the sonic before sitting in his chair. "Promise me you will rest after you connect them."

"I will," The Doctor promised. He really didn't see another choice as even this simple act was wearing him out. He finished connecting them and then passed the laptop back to Mickey. Mickey also took his sonic from him which to him was an insult. Mickey laid it on his nightstand though which made him a little happier. Mickey then helped him to take a drink of his tea before he laid back against the pillows on his bed. He would never let Mickey know how grateful he was that Mickey held his hand as once again he drifted off to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

It was quiet for awhile as Mickey sat next to the Doctor's bed working. He was still having no luck finding the man who was responsible for the attacks but now he had the rest of the universe to help him. While that opened up a lot more possibilities to find the man it also made it harder to narrow him down. Once the Doctor woke up again he was going to have to ask for his assistance again. For now though he would get as much work as he could done. Hearing a groan, he looked up to see the Doctor was rigid on the bed. His body was so stiff it seemed as though he would bend backward if he wasn't laying down. Mickey sat the laptop aside as he waited for the colonic part of the seizure to start. It didn't take long and soon the Doctor was twitching on the bed. Mickey had seen seizures in the past, but this one was almost as if the Doctor continued be bothered with it.

"If you're not going to seize properly, then don't do it at all," Mickey scolded him softly. It was another minute before the Doctor stopped though. He didn't have to wait for the Doctor to breathe as he took a deep breath in automatically letting it out with a sigh.

"I'm sorry that was so much of a hassle," Mickey laughed. "Now why don't you open your eyes so I can let Martha know that your are alright."

"Why?" the Doctor moaned. He really didn't feel like being poked and prodded again.

"Because you're waking up," Mickey lied. He didn't know if the Doctor had been told he was having seizures and he wasn't going to be the one to tell him. The doctor opened his eyes and stared at Mickey. He wanted nothing more than to have a drink and go back to sleep. He didn't understand why he was so tired all the time. He had been sleeping constantly since he was brought to Torchwood while normally he only needed a few hours of sleep a night. Jack had mentioned that he had been poisoned. His body didn't work like a humans though and with the antidote, the poison should have cleared his system by now. He should have been trying to help the others rather than rely on them. He felt useless laying in the bed while the others were working diligently to find the man who was impersonating Jack.

Turning over he tried to grab his teacup and ended up knocking it on the ground. He groaned in frustration he couldn't even pick up his own tea. If the other Time Lords could see him now... He didn't even want to think about that.

"I'll make you another cup," Mickey informed him.

"Don't bother," the Doctor huffed.

"You're getting better," Mickey reassured him. The Doctor made a rude noise with his mouth at Mickey. Mickey just ignored it and went to the kitchen to make the Doctor a new cup of tea. He returned to the Doctor's side with it to find the Time Lord was now pretending that he was asleep. It was going to take a lot of work to get him back on his feet and out of his depression. With Rose's help, they had done it before. She was gone now, but Mickey had no doubt they would be able to accomplish it again.

-DW-

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Gwen asked as they sat outside of the small blue house. They had been there for about twenty minutes now and there was not any sign of the occupants of the home. Ianto rolled his eyes at her. He had been out to Jack's daughters house in the past in order to check on his grandson Stephen. Granted Alice hadn't know he had been there and he had sworn to Jack he wold never tell her.

"Let's go to the door and get a better look," Ianto suggested. He opened the driver's side door and stretched his sore legs. He was getting tired of sitting in the vehicle and would be happy once he was back at the hub again. Gwen followed his lead, getting out of the SUV and the two of them walked up to the house. As they climbed the stairs to the porch it was immediately obvious that something was wrong. Though the door was closed and the car gone, the house seemed too quiet. Gwen put her hands to the small window beside the door and peered in. Mail was piling up in front of the door and a plant was knocked over into the entry way.

"It looks as though they have gone on vacation but with the recent attacks, we need to be sure," Gwen informed Ianto.

"We should call Jack," Ianto told her.

"I think we should confirm what happened before getting Jack involved. He is stressed as it is," Gwen replied. Ianto nodded. Stepping forward he knocked on the door.

"Alice, it's me Ianto. Can I speak to you a moment?" he called out. There was no reply from within. Not that he expected one. Grabbing the door handle he turned it and found that it was unlocked. Gently he pushed the door open. He didn't remember what happened next as the sound of an explosion rocked the neighborhood. The only thing he did remember was the feel of the heat burning his skin as he was thrown backward and then nothing.

-DW-

Ianto woke to the sound of engines screaming in the distance. The house in front of him was ablaze with fire and around him neighbor stood looking at the scene speaking in harsh whispers. No one was paying him any attention which confused him. His body hurt more than he could ever remember in the past and breathing hurt. He tried to turn his head but found it hard. He looked around, using only his eyes trying desperately to find Gwen.

"Gwen," he called out softly. He received no reply. Clearing his throat, he coughed and then tried again. "Gwen."

"Oh my god he's alive," one of the nearby people said. A young woman dropped to her knees beside him, but she didn't dare touch him. Ianto could not see himself, but his body felt as though it were burning. The thought of moving or even breathing made him want to scream in pain. His life was a living nightmare. He needed to find Gwen though. He needed to make sure she was alright.

"Help is on the way," the woman tried to reassure him softly. "You're badly injured and you need to stay still." She reached out and gently took his hand in hers. He gripped it back, thankful for something to hold onto. He moaned as he tried one more to look for Gwen. He couldn't keep up his fight with consciousness though. Giving into the darkness overwhelming his mind, he drifted off once more.

-DW-

The Doctor was still pretending to sleep as Mickey worked on his computer. Getting frustrated with trying to find the man, he set the program to keep running as he went to the local news. He wanted to try and find out if there were any new stories that linked the man to occurences throughout Cardiff. As he pulled up the news though, he saw there was a breaking news story about an explosion.

"I'll be right back," Mickey told the Doctor. The Doctor faked a snore and Mickey shook his head as he ran out of the medi-bay and into the hub. Taking his laptop with him, he ran down to where Jack was performing autopsies on the weevils still. Mickey knocked on the door and Jack looked over at him.

"Jack get out here now," Mickey called out. Jack immediately threw his gear aside, worried that there was something wrong with the Doctor.

"What happened? Is the Doctor alright?" Jack worried as he started towards the TARDIS.

"The Doctor is fine, but I don't think Ianto and Gwen are," Mickey informed him. He handed the laptop over to Jack who paled as he read the information. The news story didn't give much information right now as they were still on their way to the scene. The main thing they need to know though was there was an explosion in the residential neighborhood. Jack took one look at the screen and pulled his cell phone out, dialing Ianto's number.

"Pick up dammit," Jack swore as the phone rang without being answered. There could have been a perfectly reasonable explanation of why Ianto wasn't answering his phone, but with the psycho on the loose, Jack immediately feared the worse. He tried to call Alice's home phone but again there was no answer. Heading to the autopsy room, he interrupted Martha's work.

"Martha we need your help. There's been another explosion and Ianto is not answering his phone. I need to go to him. I need you to get on the phone with the police and find out what is going on," Jack snipped, unable to hide his worry.

"Are you sure he was involved in the explosion?" Martha asked in concern. Unlike Jack she made a point to store the body away once more as Jack tried to call Gwen. She failed to answer her phone as well which proved to him that it was Alice's house that had been involved.

"Neither him, Alice, or Gwen are answering their phones," Jack told her.

"Where were they?" A soft voice asked hesitantly. Jack turned around to see the Doctor standing in the doorway of the TARDIS. He was so pale that he had no business to being on his feet and Jack was concerned that he was going to faint.

"You should be back in bed," Martha scolded him as she headed to the TARDIS doors.

"Let me help you. If they are in danger the TARDIS can get to them quicker than a car" the Doctor said heading back into the TARDIS. Martha wasn't happy about the slow way he walked or the fact that he stopped at the TARDIS controls rather than heading to the medi-bay. Jack and Mickey followed the two of them on board, Jack closing the doors behind him. He knew that the Doctor should be resting from being poisoned and that he could have another seizure at any time without warning. Still he was desperate to find out what happened to Ianto, Alice, and his grandson. Despite his better judgment, Jack gave the Doctor the coordinates. Martha glared at him, but he ignored her as he helped the Doctor drive.

They landed outside what used to be a home. All around them debris was scattered and the home burned brightly even in the overcast day. Jack ran out of the TARDIS. He found Ianto quickly laying away from the house next to the woman. His body was covered in burns and for a moment Jack feared he was dead. He breathed a sigh of relief though as he noticed the gentle rise and fall of Ianto's chest.

"Mickey get a stretcher we need to get him onto the TARDIS and into the medi-bay now," Jack yelled as he looked around the yard, trying to find Gwen. Mickey came over with Martha and they knelt down next to Ianto. She ran her hands along his neck, looking for any injuries besides the obvious. Carefully she placed a neck brace on him to stabilize his head until they could get an x-ray. His arm was bent at a strange angle and she put a splint on it to hold it until she could set his arm properly. By that time the paramedics had arrived and Mickey stepped in. Martha could hear him arguing that they were Torchwood and going to take Ianto back to the hub for care. Martha didn't know if it was the right choice but she did know that the Doctor could do more for Ianto in the Medi-bay then modern medicine could.

Jack continued to search he found Gwen. He found her lying near the fence. Not only was she burned as well but she had hit her head against the fence and was bleeding. Her breath was shallow and Jack feared she wouldn't make it. He knelt down next to her and gently began to check her over. He had been a front line medic and only by separating himself from the fact that it was Gwen he was caring for was he able to keep it together. He quickly discovered that she had a possible neck injury on top of everything else. He called Mickey over with another backboard and neck brace. Securing them on to Gwen. Since she was the more injured of the two, Mickey helped him carry Gwen into the medi-bay first before returning to get Ianto. The Doctor was waiting for them and set to work with the TARDIS to examine her.

"This is all my fault," Jack said as he brought Ianto into the medi-bay.

"Stop thinking like that and help," Martha snapped. "I know you feel guilty but I also know that you were trained to be a frontline medic and I need help if we're going to save their lives. It would be better if we could take him to a hospital."

"They would be in the hospital for months and still not recovery fully," the Doctor responded. "Hospitals don't have the medicine or technology the TARDIS has. We can treat them here and we can treat them better. I have medicine that we can put on the burns that will allow them to heal and encourage new skin growth."

"What about Gwen," Jack wondered as he looked at her.

The Doctor turned the monitor towards himself, looking at the information that that the TARDIS provided. It showed that Gwen's outlook was bleak. She had a massive head injury as well as burns that covered 30% of her body. Her neck thankfully wasn't injured, but she had several broken ribs and a broken leg. It was imperative that he gave her medicine now that would help reduce the chances of her having permanent brain damage. The next twenty-four hours were going to be crucial to her survival. The TARDIS provided the medication needed and an IV. Against her better judgment Martha let the Doctor take the lead on Gwen as she started to care for Ianto. They were badly hurt and she needed all the help she could get in order to save their lives.

"Sharp prick," The Doctor warned her as he inserted the IV into her arm though Gwen was still unconscious. Jack grabbed a pair of scissors and began cutting off the remains of her burnt clothes as he tried not to watch Martha and Mickey working on his lover. He couldn't help the glances though as he treated Gwen. Ianto had also had an IV inserted. Martha had sedated him completely as she began to clean and bandage his burns. His arm needed to be set but in order to do so she was going to need Jack's help.

"Jack, pay attention or go help Ianto," The Doctor snapped at him as he injected several medications into the IV. He was still weary of Jack and while he understood the necessity of working with Jack to save Gwen's life, it didn't mean he had to like it.

"Sorry, what do you need me to do," Jack asked as he tore his eyes away from Ianto and focused on Gwen.

"I need you to stitch her head wound," The Doctor informed him. The Doctor would normally have no problem stitching a wound, but he felt as though he had just run a triple triathlon with no sleep and just wanted to crawl into his bed. He couldn't rest though while there were people who needed his help. He ran his hand through his hair, making his messy hair stand on end. Rubbing the back of his neck a moment, he reached for the burn ointment that the TARDIS provided.

"Maybe you should sit down for a moment," Jack suggested as he watched the Doctor. The Doctor glared at him.

"I'm fine, Jack," He tried to snip. He was too tired though and it sounded more like he was whining. Jack raised an eyebrow at him and he looked down suddenly more interested in the burn on Gwen's arm. Before he could begin to tend to it, the TARDIS monitor alarm began to go off with a shrill beep. The Doctor didn't need to look at it to know that Gwen's heart had stopped. Martha was immediately over by his side, leaving Ianto in Mickey's hands for a moment.

"Jack I need you to start chest compressions," Martha ordered as she took charge. The Doctor was grateful as he couldn't seem to focus past the shrill beep. He should have been able to take charge with ease. He had been a warrior for most of the Time War but before that he had tried to help people. Being a medic and in charge was something that he had accomplished many times despite his arguments that he wasn't a doctor. Now he stepped back as Martha injected three syringes into Gwen's IV and grabbed an ambu-bag to breathe for her.

"Come on Gwen, don't do this," Jack begged her as he continued the compressions on her chest. Gwen took a breath as her heart began to beat on its own again. The breath was shallow, but it was there. Jack breathed his own sigh of relief as Martha grabbed the oxygen mask and carefully placed it over her mouth and nose. The Doctor held his head as a headache began to flair up on him out of nowhere.

"Martha," he had time to whimper before his back arched.

"Shit," Jack yelled as he ran around the bed. The Doctor hit the floor hard, but Jack didn't have time to see if he was alright as he began to seize.

"You really pick your times Doc," Mickey stated as he continued to treat Ianto's burns. As he did, he couldn't help but realize that there were six of them and half of them were down. How much longer until the imposter took them all out?

"Jack can you get him up on the bed next to Gwen's?" Martha wondered as the seizure ended. Thankfully it was short again and not very violent. She was hoping that was an indication that the seizures were coming to an end, but she couldn't be sure. The Doctor might end up having seizures the rest of this regeneration due to the damage the poison and drugs wreaked on his body.

"No," The Doctor whimpered as Jack carefully picked him up off the floor. His body went tense again, this time in fear.

"Relax, I am just taking you to your bed," Jack insisted as he began to move slowly. Jack tried not to let the hurt show as he carried the Doctor over to the bed.

"I need to help Gwen and Ianto," The Doctor argued, even though he could barely keep his eyes open.

"You need to rest," Martha responded. Jack laid him down on the bed and Martha quickly inserted a new IV into his arm. She barely finished pulling the blankets up to his chest before the Doctor's eyes were closed again. She couldn't spend the time she wanted to with the Doctor as she still had to tend to Gwen and Ianto. She wished that she were back at UNIT with a team of doctor's and nurses to help her treat her three patients. Wishing wasn't going to accomplish anything though. She had been through worse with less help during the year that never was. She could do this. Looking at Gwen for a moment she turned to Jack. "Jack I need you to help me set Ianto's arm while Gwen is stable. Then I need you to clean and treat her burns while Mickey and I finish with Ianto's arm and treat his burns as well."

"We need to tell Rhys what has happened," Jack told Martha not moving from the Doctor's side.

"We will, but right now I need you to help me treat Ianto. I know it isn't right or fair being that he is your lover but without being able to take him to a hospital we are his only chance," Martha reminded Jack. Jack nodded, finally stepping away from the Doctor's bed. He moved to Ianto's side and stared down at his young lover. Ianto had burns covering most of his face and torso. They were glossy looking due to the medication that Mickey was applying in order to help them heal. Jack wanted to touch Ianto and comfort him, but he didn't know where he could without hurting him. Looking at Ianto's twisted arm made him sick. He helped Martha set it and was thankful that the break seemed to be going back into line. He held Ianto's arm at the angle Martha wanted as she began to place the cast. She barely had started when the heart monitor alerted them that Gwen's heart had stopped again. Jack carefully laid Ianto's arm down as he ran to Gwen. They were in for a long night and they still had to figure out how to stop the man impersonating him.

Jack once more began the chest compressions on Gwen. This time she failed to respond as he kept going. He switched off with Mickey and took over the breathing for Martha as they tried to bring her back. The TARDIS provided medication and Martha inserted it into the IV. It took longer this time as her heart began to beat again but she didn't start breathing on her own. Martha carefully inserted the intubation tube down her throat and let the ventilator take over her breathing.

"I don't think she can take much more," Martha said softly. Jack swore loudly as he threw the ambu-bag across the medi-bay.

"I am going to kill the man responsible for this when I find him," Jack hiss angrily. With Martha tending to Gwen, he moved over to Ianto's to begin working on his arm again. As he did, he noticed that the Doctor was already there. No one noticed him get out of bed to tend to Ianto as they tried to save Gwen. He was barely on his feet as he determinedly placed bandages on Ianto's wounds. Jack wasn't about to tell him to go to bed again as he grabbed the casting material to finish Ianto's arm.


	13. Chapter 13

"You need to stop this Gwen," Martha scolded softly as Gwen's heart once again began to beat irregularly. The TARDIS lights flashed once about her bed, and then a mauve light came on. The Doctor glanced up at the screen, sending a telepathic message to the TARDIS as he did. The screen changed over to show Gwen's information. The Doctor read it as he held Ianto's arm for Jack to finish casting.

"We need to get her into surgery now," The Doctor told Martha as he gently set Ianto's arm down on the bed. "Her head injury is bleeding internally and if we don't relieve the pressure now we are going to lose her." Martha nodded her understanding.

"Scrub up," She told Mickey and Jack. She couldn't risk taking the Doctor in with her and having him have another seizure during the operation. She knew what she was doing though. She needed more help than she had, but they couldn't risk taking the two of them to a hospital with the medications they were using. The medication would change the course of human medicine if they got their hands on it now. Martha unlocked the wheels on Gwen's bed and with Mickey's help pushed her towards the sterile operating room. The Doctor watched them go, waiting until the doors were closed behind them. Moving quickly he made his way out to the control room.

"We need to find Rhys," The Doctor told her as he pulled the monitor to him. Releasing the handbrake he made the quick jump back to the Torchwood hub, landing her right next to the rift computers. From there it was almost child's play for him to hack into the Torchwood computers. While he admired Jack's security walls, they were no match for the TARDIS and he had them down within minutes. An alarm blared outside his door as the computers were hacked, but once inside he shut it off. From there he hacked into the personal files.

He was slightly surprised at how many names were listed as deceased in the last few years. He had never liked Torchwood, but Jack had swore to him that he had changed it and made it better in his honor. Yet the list of names was getting longer. The Doctor feared that Gwen's name might be added to the list before the day was done. Pulling up her file, he found Rhys listed as her husband along with an address for her home and a phone number. He looked at the phone number for less than a second before setting the coordinates on the TARDIS. He never did like phones even if he did travel around with his TARDIS looking like a Police Box. As he moved, the TARDIS flashed that Ianto needed him.

Hurrying as fast as he could back to the medi-bay, he could see that Ianto was still sleeping, but there was a syringe of medication beside his bed. Not questioning the TARDIS's instructions, he picked up the syringe and injected it into the cannula. The Doctor didn't leave Ianto's side right away as he checked to make sure that the cast was drying properly. He also checked the bandages covering Ianto's burns, making sure they hadn't missed any. The Doctor was gentle, being careful not to disturb Ianto as the sedation was beginning to wear off. He was going to be in pain when he did wake so the longer he slept the better. The Doctor turned to leave again, as he did he felt an urging from the TARDIS to sit down. He tried to ignore her, and she hummed at him angrily.

"I have to get Rhys for Gwen," He told her out loud. A drawer next to Ianto's bed opened and the Doctor saw there was another syringe in it. He picked up the syringe as he looked at the screen. The TARDIS made it clear on the screen that the medication was for him and not Ianto. The Doctor made a face at her. She hummed again as she blew cold air on him. Sighing the Doctor injected the syringe into his thigh through his trousers.

"Happy?" He asked her turning to head back to the control room. He began the landing sequence materializing her in Gwen's living room. The TARDIS landed with barely a bump and the Doctor was positive that was for his two patient's benefit rather than his own. The TARDIS had no problem throwing him to the floor when she was upset with him, even when he wasn't feeling well. He agreed with her that he should be resting, but he couldn't just sit back and allow others to die when the man who looked like Jack was still out there. The thought made him shudder as images surfaced in his mind. He tried to push them back down and not think of how helpless he felt tied to the bed. Thankfully before the thought could go any further there was a knock on the TARDIS door.

"Hello?" A strange male voice called out from the other side. The Doctor froze upon hearing it. He wanted to go open the door, but he couldn't do it. In all of his life, he had never been afraid of setting out into the unknown, yet now he didn't know if it was actually Rhys on the other side of that door. What if the stranger had arrived at Gwen's home before him? He knew the thought was irrational, but he couldn't help the shiver that went through his body. His stomach flipped, and he was sick on the TARDIS floor before he had time to react. There was another knock on the door. Rather than heading to it, the Doctor turned fleeing to his room. Entering it, he closed the door tightly behind him, locking it as he did. He slid down the door as his hearts pounded in his chest. He was safe for now.

-DW-

Martha was concentrating on what she was doing when the TARDIS chimed. It wasn't loud enough to startle her during the delicate operation on Gwen's head, but it didn't get her attention. Glancing up from what she was doing, she saw the screen had changed. It was no longer just showing Gwen's stats but a short message.

"Mickey can you read that for me?" Martha wondered as she looked back down. Mickey looked up at the screen, reading the message that was on it.

"There is someone at her door. Ianto is going to need treatment soon, but The Doctor has locked himself in his room and is on the verge of a panic attack," Mickey summarized for Martha. Martha sighed. In the past she would have sent Jack to calm him down, but with the recent events that would only stress the Doctor out more. She couldn't leave Gwen at the moment as the operation was delicate and one slip of the hand could cause permanent brain damage.

"We have to wait. We can't leave now. It is going to be at least another little while before I am done. I need both of you here until I can staple the wound closed. Unfortunately, that means the Doctor is going to have to wait," Martha told Mickey and Jack. She then raised her head to speak directly to the TARDIS. "Can you keep an eye on him and inform us if he needs assistance?" Martha wondered. The TARDIS chimed once and Martha took that as a yes. Looking down again she continued her work.

Once the surgery was completed on Gwen, she wheeled her back out to the medi-bay with Ianto. Gwen was still receiving assistance to breathe, but her vitals were beginning to stabilize and Martha had hope that she would actually survive. The TARDIS provided medication to keep Gwen in a medically induced coma until the swelling in her brain went down. Only then would they think of trying to wake her up. Martha checked Gwen over before heading to Ianto.

"How is he?" Jack asked worriedly as he came out of the operating room. He had been worried about his lover the entire time they were in surgery, but his focus had to be on Gwen. Ianto was in bad shape, but none of his wounds were actually life threatening. The burns though serious would heal as well as his broken arm. He had bruises all over his body and would be out of work for weeks, but he would survive.

"He is holding his own," Martha answered. "He has a long road ahead of him to reach a full recovery, but I have confidence that he will make it. It is going to take time and patients though."

"I will be right by his side the entire time," Jack informed Martha. Gently he kissed his lover on his head in one of the only spots that wasn't covered in bandages. Martha gave Ianto the medication provided by the TARDIS. While she checked on Ianto, Jack went to open the TARDIS door. As he opened it, he was surprised to be in a familiar flat. Sitting on the couch was Rhys.

"Should have know it was bloody Torchwood. First I receive this." Rhys paused to throw a letter with Jack's name on it onto the table. "Then this blue box show's up in my living room," Rhys scoffed as he took another drink of his beer. "So what is that?"

"Rhys," Jack said somberly as he picked up the letter. "There has been an accident."

"Gwen is she..." Rhys trailed off unable to finish his sentence as he thought the worst.

"She is still alive, but she is badly hurt. If you will come with me," Jack motioned for Rhys to follow him into the TARDIS. Rhys just stood there dumbfounded.

"In there?" Rhys asked in disbelief. If Gwen was hurt she should be in a hospital, not inside of a blue box that somehow appeared in his living room.

"Yes in here," Jack snapped slightly. Stepping on board Rhys barely had time to marvel that it was bigger on the inside before he was pulled to the medi-bay by Jack. Once inside he could see his wife lying on one bed. He hurried over to her, being met by Martha on the way. Jack could hear Martha talking in a low voice, explaining Gwen's injuries, but Jack didn't pay attention. He walked back out to the console room, making sure that he was alone before he opened the letter. Inside was a short note with a single picture. In the picture, Jack could see his daughter and Steven tied to a chair. Steven had a cut on his head and the blood on his face helped to fuel Jack's anger. Looking at the note, he read the single line.

"You know where to find me." Seething, Jack tucked the note back into his pocket as he stormed out of the TARDIS.

-DW-

Once Martha was done answering Rhys's questions, she excused herself for a moment to check on the Doctor. She had never been to his room before, but the TARDIS made it easy to find. The large wooden door were different from the rest of the doors on the ship. She knocked on it once but received no reply from within. Trying the handle she found it was unlocked.

"Doctor, I'm coming in," Martha warned him as she pushed the door open. She had never been in the Doctor's room before and felt almost as if she were breaking a secret rule by going inside. The Doctor's room itself didn't surprise her though as she could see his personality scattered around it from the small wooden desk on one side to the bookshelves that lined the wall. On one wall of the room was a large bed with dark blue blankets. Tucked under them, and sleeping peacefully was the Doctor.

"Is he alright to leave here?" Martha asked the TARDIS. She received a gust of warm air as a reply. Tiptoeing over to his bed, she check to make sure that he was breathing clearly and checked his pulse. She would have liked to put him on an IV again, but didn't want to wake him yet. She would let him sleep for a little while before disturbing him with needles. Leaving the room, she closed the door behind her.


	14. Chapter 14

Jack climbed into Ianto's SUV ignoring the bloodstains in the backseat. Putting the SUV into drive he peeled out of the Torchwood parking lot, leaving black tire marks on the ground. He drove as quickly as he dared, not wanting to let the man get away again. The man had already caused enough damage and lives in the short time since he had made himself known. Jack couldn't let this go on any longer. It had to end and it had to end now. Pressing down on the gas, he willed the SUV to go faster as he hurried to the abandoned warehouse. They had stayed in the warehouse when hiding from the Master, Jack also used it from time to time when he wanted to get away. It made since the imposter was there as no one would think to look there as there were keep out signs surrounding the area.

As Jack approached the warehouse, he saw Alice's car parked out front. He seethed as he pulled up beside it. Getting out, he first checked his gun. Releasing the safety, he held it in front of him as he approached the warehouse door. The door was closed tightly, forcing him to hold the gun in one hand as he opened the door. Going in the first thing he saw was Alice and Stephen tied to chairs in the center of the room. They were both gagged, unable to scream for help. Not as if anyone could hear them. Going in further he saw the man who looked like him standing slightly off to the side.

"About time you made it," the imposter greeted him. "We were starting to get bored."

"Let them go," Jack demanded moving closer.

"So rude and here I thought we were going to be friends," the man pouted slightly angering Jack even further. Keeping his gun pointed, he glanced around the warehouse. To one side the man had a cage with several weevils in it. Jack though saw no sign of the missing girls.

"Where are the girls you took?" Jack wondered stepping closer. The man glared at him.

"That's far enough. You come in here making demands not asking who I am or why I am doing this to you," The man looked amused as he stared at Jack.

"I don't care," Jack responded.

"Well of course you do. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here. You're trying to be the hero Jack, but you're not. You are worthless just like everyone else in this universe," The man hissed. Jack glared at him he took a step towards Stephen and the man tutted. Pulling a knife out he bent down close to Stephen, placing it on his neck. "Drop the gun or I will kill him."

"Don't hurt him." Jack held his hand up, releasing the safety. Bending over he placed the gun on the ground, taking a step back from it. He stared the man in the eyes as the man didn't move. Jack had no doubt that he really would hurt Stephen as he had no qualms about hurting anyone else. He breathed a sigh of relief as the man finally stood up straight backing away from Stephen.

"You just don't get it do you?" The man questioned coming around his hostages and moving closer to Jack. "They will die. Maybe not now but I will kill them along with everyone else you love. I will make you suffer."

"Why?" Jack asked finally. The man laughed.

"Too late now. You had your chance to find out." He paused as the sound of the TARDIS arriving filled the warehouse. As soon as she landed, Mickey and Martha stormed out with their guns in hand. Jack could see the Doctor standing by the control staring out at them as his fingers flew across the buttons. Jack wasn't sure what he was doing or how he found them but he was thankful to see them.

"Down on the ground now," Mickey ordered the man. The man smiled.

"I think not," He responded. With a touch of the button on his vortex manipulator, he was gone. Jack groaned with anger as he rushed forward to untie his grandson.

"Dad we have to get out there is a bomb in here," Alice informed him once Martha had removed the gag from her mouth.

"Damn it," Jack screamed as he pulled out his knife to cut the knot. "Everyone back on the TARDIS now." They ran as fast as they could across the small warehouse to the TARDIS. Jack made sure everybody else was safely on board, before going through the doors himself. As he pulled them closed the TARDIS rocked slightly as the room outside her doors filled with fire. Jack screamed kicking the door as once again all traces of the imposter were gone. He was no closer to finding him or the missing girls than he had been this morning. Turning around he saw everyone staring at him.

"Jack," The Doctor said softly.

"How did you find me?" Jack wondered not wanting to hear what the Doctor had to say at the moment.

"You're a fact. The TARDIS was able to find you by focusing on the Autron energy," The Doctor explained. Jack nodded as he walked past him.

"Take us to the hub. I need to find him again before he hurts anyone else," Jack seethed storming past them. He went to his room closing the door tightly behind himself. He just needed to be alone for a moment to regroup and then he would catch the bastard.

"What is it?" Jack snapped when there was a knock on his door. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He had no right to snap at whoever was outside of that door. They weren't responsible for the imposter getting away, nor were they guilty of bringing him to Cardiff in the first place. No whoever was behind this wanted to make sure that Jack suffered and it was working. He couldn't push away the people who were trying to help him if he wanted any hope of catching the man. "I'm coming," He called out trying to keep his voice calmer when there was no reply. Going to the door, he opened it. He was surprised to see the Doctor standing against the wall across from his room.

"I can track him," The Doctor told Jack as he swayed on his feet. He fell back against the wall.

"Maybe you should sit down," Jack suggested, worried that he was going to have another seizure. The Doctor nodded, sliding down the wall. Jack grabbed a bottle of water that suddenly appeared on his nightstand and handed to the Doctor. The Doctor opened it taking a small drink as Jack knelt down in front of him. "What do you mean you can track him?"

"I hacked his vortex manipulator at the warehouse. The TARDIS is currently following him as he jumps and she will alert us once he has landed," The Doctor replied. Jack smiled. He barely stopped himself from leaning forward and wrapping his arms around the Doctor. Instead, he stayed kneeling as he waited for the Doctor to recover enough to stand.

"How did you figure out how to hack his manipulator from the TARDIS?" Jack asked. The Doctor gave him a look like he was stupid or something.

"Please, a Time Lord toddler could hack your space hopper," The Doctor told Jack slightly insulted. He had proved to Jack in the past that he was easily able to hack his manipulator using the sonic. Jack held his hands up in defense.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to insult you," He apologized. He sat fully down on the ground, leaning against the wall opposite of the Doctor. "Are we going to be okay because you know I would never hurt you, right?"

"Maybe," The Doctor answered vaguely. He wanted everything to be alright with Jack because he had trusted him. In fact deep down he still did. The problem was he couldn't look at Jack without seeing the man who attacked him Who violated his body in the worse way possible. While his body still bore the marks of his attack and ached to crawl back into his bed, he couldn't even contemplate forgiving anyone. The TARDIS flashed her lights.

"Have we found him?" Jack asked hopefully. The Doctor shook his head no. He pushed himself up on the wall trying to stand. Jack stood quickly offering him a hand, but the Doctor just ignored it. Jack didn't push it.

"Gwen needs me in the medi-bay," The Doctor replied. He managed to get himself to his feet, stumbling slightly as he walked. Jack followed behind him, ready to catch him if he fell. The Doctor made it without assistance, though. They entered the medi-bay together. Ianto's bed had been moved further away from Gwen's and he was sleeping soundly. There was an oxygen mask over his face and heart monitors attached to his chest. "We sedated him due to the pain that he was in. I had Martha place him on an alternating pressure mattress as well to keep him from developing sores or putting too much pressure on his burns."

"Is he going to live a normal life after this?" Jack wondered in concern.

"I see no reason why he wouldn't. Due to the technology and medications I have access to, he can heal with minimal scarring. I expect Ianto will make a full recovery. It is Gwen who I am worried about," The Doctor explained. They went over to her bed when Rhys was sitting holding her hand tightly in his. There was a ventilator tube down her throat and it was steadily hissing as oxygen was pumped into her body. Beside the bed, a drawer opened with a premeasured syringe in it. The Doctor picked it up injecting the liquid into one of her three IV's without questioning it.

"Why couldn't Martha medicate her?" Jack asked. The Doctor glanced at him.

"She needed to rest and Mickey took her to his room to lay down," The Doctor told him. "I can handle giving Gwen medication while she sleeps."

"I'm sure she is sleeping," Jack commented. The Doctor shook his head no slightly as he nodded towards Rhys. Jack put a hand on Rhys's shoulder. "How are you doing?"

"I just need her to be alright. I told her this could happen when she got involved with bloody Torchwood," Rhys snapped at him. He looked towards the Doctor. "How is she doing?"

"The same. There have been no improvements. We have to give her time as she suffered a massive blow to her head. Even with the medication I have given her, it is still going to take time for the swelling to go down. I would expect to see improvement in the next 72 hours," The Doctor told him honestly.

"And if we don't?" Rhys questioned. The Doctor looked at him sadly. That was all the answer that Rhys needed and he bent his head down resting it against Gwen's hand.

"She could still survive, but after that the quality of her life will be limited. I will do everything I can to make sure she is taken care of," The Doctor promised.

"I will too. No matter what happens you will never have to worry about caring for her financially. All of her bills will be covered by Torchwood. You have my word," Jack reassured Rhys. It wasn't much, but it was the least he could do. He wasn't going to let that man win. This was going to end today one way or another.

"Thank you," Rhys said after a long pause. Jack turned leaving the medi-bay and those hurt because of him. He wanted to seek the comfort of his daughter and grandson, yet he found himself heading to the control room to wait. As soon as they landed the imposter was going to pay.


	15. Chapter 15

"The TARDIS has informed me that he just landed," The Doctor told Jack as he entered the control room. Jack jumped quickly to his feet heading towards the door as the Doctor began the landing sequence. Much to his own disappointment he found himself putting her on silence so that they could surprise the imposter before he had a chance to run again. He apologized silently to the TARDIS promising her next time she could make all the noise she wanted. She hummed at him playfully.

"Can you block his vortex manipulator so that he can't teleport out once we land?" Jack asked the Doctor. He leaned back against the railing impatiently as he waited for them to finish landing. He didn't remember it taking so long in the past. Maybe it seemed to be taking longer because all he wanted to do was open those doors and kill the man on the other side. He couldn't, though. Not just because the Doctor wouldn't approve but also because those two little girls were still missing and without the imposter there was a possibility he would never find them.

"Of course," The Doctor scoffed. He pulled the handbrake and then moved to the door as well. He grabbed his coat off the coral where it had been thrown, slipping it over his shoulders.

"You aren't coming out there with me," Jack informed the Doctor. The Doctor raised one eyebrow at him as he didn't break his stride. He pushed the door open stepping out into a small building. Immediately he raised his sonic, pointing it at the imposter's wrist. With a single press of the button, he froze the coordinates on the manipulator rendering it useless.

"Awe, look who decided to come out and play. Did you ask your daddy first?" The man taunted the Doctor. Jack stepped out of the TARDIS, walking forward so that he was a few steps ahead of the Doctor. He pulled his gun out pointing it at the man who looked like him.

"I would watch your tongue if I were you. The Doctor is not big on giving second chances. If you knew what is good for you, you would get on your knees with your hands on your head and come quietly. Otherwise, I can and will shoot you," Jack hissed angrily. He grew angrier as the man smirked happily at him.

"You won't shoot me and neither will he. Your precious Doctor doesn't like guns," The man scoffed confidently. He made a kissy face towards the Doctor. Jack glanced over his shoulder, seeing the Doctor's eyes had narrowed. The full force of the Oncoming Storm was staring at the man. The man though didn't seem to care. Jack turned both eyes back towards him.

"Just because the Doctor doesn't like guns doesn't mean he doesn't know how to use one. And don't ever make the mistake of believing that he has to have a gun to be dangerous," Jack informed the man. The Doctor remained oddly quiet behind him. Jack was slightly worried about that as normally it was impossible to get a word in edgewise. Now the Doctor seemed content to let Jack speak for him.

"It is kind of hard to be afraid of a man that I have been inside. Did he tell you how he cried and begged me to stop as I took him? Of course, I couldn't understand him with the gag in his mouth," The man reminisced. The Doctor took a step forward and Jack moved again making sure he was still in between the two.

"I would be careful what you say. The only reason you are not dead right now is because of him," Jack snapped at him.

"That's alright because he will be dead soon anyways," The man laughed.

"If you mean the poison you put on the ropes, we already discovered that and he has been giving the antidote for it," Jack responded. The man stopped laughing abruptly at Jack's response.

"Where are the two girls?" The Doctor asked finally. The Man looked at him.

"What girls?" He spat.

"The two little girls whose parents you killed," Jack growled. The Man still looked at him confused. Either he was doing a great job of acting or he really didn't know where the children were. Jack didn't believe him for a moment and chose to believe he was a liar. "I will get that information out of you. Now get down on your knees and put your hands behind your head."

"I think not." The man went to press the button on his vortex manipulator. He hit it once, surprised when he didn't move. Angrily he jabbed it again. "What did you do?" He stormed towards.

"Stop or I will shoot," Jack warned him. The man didn't stop. As he moved nearer he reached towards his gun. Jack took aim and fired a single shot into the man's leg. The man howled in pain as he fell to the ground.

"Jack," the Doctor drew out the word showing his annoyance. Jack hurried forward taking the man's gun out of his pocket.

"I didn't kill him," Jack told the Doctor as he handed him the gun. The Doctor took it, opening it easily and removing the bullets. Jack handcuffed the man's hands behind his back, dragging him roughly to his feet. "Can you take us back to Torchwood? I want this thing in my cells where he can't hurt anyone else."

"Alright," The Doctor agreed with a sigh. He really didn't want the man on his TARDIS. It was hard enough to look at him, let alone be around him. He went ahead of Jack on to the TARDIS to get the coordinates set. When Jack dragged the man on a moment later, the man received a nasty shock from the TARDIS knocking him out cold. He slumped to the ground just inside the door. The Doctor patted the TARDIS affectionately.

"So it is okay when she hurts him?" Jack asked in disbelief as he stepped over the man and headed to the console.

"She didn't use a gun," The Doctor answered with a shrug.

Jack showed no mercy to the unconscious imposter as he dragged him down to the cells once they have landed. The Doctor watched on thankful to have the man off of his TARDIS. The man needed medical attention due to the gunshot wound in his leg and missing fingers. Jack though was content to let the man suffer for his crimes. Gwen was still fighting for her life and his lover was severely injured not to mention the countless people who were dead due to the imposter. Jack dropped him on the floor in the cell next to Janet, closing the door tightly behind him. He then returned to the TARDIS to find the Doctor slumped against the captain's chair.

"Are you alright Doc," Jack wondered as he rushed to his side. With how confident the Doctor seemed it was easy to forget he was still recovering as well.

"Dizzy," The Doctor complained. Jack knelt down in front of him.

"Let me help you to your room," Jack offered. The Doctor took a deep breath as he nodded. Even with the imposter who had hurt him down in the cells, it was still hard to look at Jack and know he was innocent. He had to try though, not only for Jack's sake but his own. He allowed Jack to help him up off the chair, leaning heavily against him as they walked to his room. As they walked the Doctor breathed in the familiar scent that was Jack. He smelled different then the imposter as well and for some reason the Doctor found that comforting.

"Jack?" The Doctor wondered softly.

"Yes Doc," Jack questioned as they reached the Doctor's room. He pushed the door open with his foot ready to continue forward.

"Can you get Martha for me?" The Doctor asked. He sat down on the edge of his bed with his back curved, his shoulders slumped. It was obvious from his poster he wasn't feeling well as Jack normally only saw the Doctor holding himself up confidently. The fact that he also wanted Martha.

"I'll be right back," Jack promised rushing out of the room. Martha's door wasn't that far away and Jack knocked loudly on it. A moment later the door opened. Martha poked her head out, her hair was a mess and she yawned loudly. "Sorry to wake you but the Doctor needs you," Jack explained. Martha yawned again. She stepped out of her room the door closing the door quickly behind her. She wasn't quick enough though and Jack saw Mickey sprawled out naked on top of the blankets sleeping soundly.

"Is he in his room?" She inquired as she started towards it. Jack nodded as he walked beside her. Going into the Doctor's room they found him slumped over on his side. His eyes were still open and a fresh pile of sick greeted them.

"I'm sorry," The Doctor whimpered.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Martha responded softly. She moved over to the Doctor, helping him further onto the bed as Jack began the unpleasant task of cleaning up the mess. "I think an IV, medication and a kip, is what you need right now." She gently brushed his hair back from his forehead as she spoke.

"I have to take care of Gwen," He protested half-heartedly.

"I can look after Gwen for awhile. I think part of the problem is that you have been trying to do too much when you should just be resting. Now I want you to lay back and I am going to go get a fresh IV for you," Martha informed him. The Doctor didn't argue as he seemed relieved to have someone telling him that he had to rest. Jack finished cleaning up the mess, by the time he was done, Martha was back with an IV and several syringes. She carefully placed the IV in the Doctor's arm then gave him an antibiotic, the antidote, and several others into the cannula. The final syringe she filled but didn't inject right away.

"I am going to give you a mild sedative to help you fall asleep. I am sorry that we have all been relying on you while you are trying to heal. You should have been just allowed to rest, but instead we have had you helping care for Gwen and Ianto as well as driving the TARDIS. The TARDIS also agrees you have done too much and the strain it is putting on your weak body is not good. You just need to sleep right now and let us take care of you again for awhile," Martha explained. "For the next two days it is bed rest for you, mister. The only reason you should be out of bed at the moment is to use the loo. Other then that I want to see you in this bed or I will move you to the medi-bay again. Is that understood?

"Yes," The Doctor sighed. He didn't protest anymore as he closed his eyes. Martha injected the sedative and within minutes he was out. She made sure that he was tucked in and comfortable before motioning for Jack to follow her out of the room. They closed the door behind them. Jack leaned against the wall not looking at Martha as she began to speak.

"So is it finally over?" Martha asked. Jack shook his head no. Though the culprit had been caught there was still a lot of work to do.

"The man who has been impersonating me is down in the cells. Once he is conscious again, I am going to have a word with him. We also need to finish the autopsies and find out how those people were killed as well as find the missing children. He claims he didn't take them so they may have been with a friend or family member. Gwen and Ianto still need constant care which I am going to help you provide. I also need to find a place for Alice and Steven to stay until their home is repaired," Jack told her. This was far from over and with only two of his team members in action everything was going to take longer.

"You need help. You don't have to try to do all of this on your own," Martha commented as Jack stood up straight again.

"Yes I do," Jack replied. "It's my fault this all started, I have to be the one to finish it."

Chapter 27: Chapter 27  
"That's not true," Mickey stated as he came out of his room. Much to Jack's disappointment he had pulled on a pair of trousers. "You didn't start this. Whatever reason that man gives for the killing is just an excuse and he would have killed regardless. You can't take responsibility for his actions."

"When did you become the voice of reason?" Jack asked softly.

"When you stopped," Mickey informed him. Jack couldn't argue that as a small smile crossed his face. "Let us help you. You don't have to do it all. Martha can take care of Gwen, Ianto and the Doctor. I will go interview the suspect and you can finish the autopsies. Alice and Steven can stay here for a few days until we are sure that he didn't have an accomplice."

"Alright," Jack agreed. He hadn't even thought that the man might have help. That was another thing he needed to ask. "I will start the autopsies but don't even think about interviewing that man without me. We have already seen what he is capable of and I don't want anyone alone with him. As soon as he is awake, you come and find me, do you understand?" Jack wondered as he took charge again.

"Yes, sir." Mickey saluted him sarcastically before setting off. Jack turned to look at Martha again once he was gone.

"That is a good man you have there. Are you sure you aren't willing to share?" Jack wondered. Martha laughed.

"Not even with you Jack." She gave Jack a hug before heading into the medi-bay. Jack sighed heading towards the autopsy room. As he passed by the console he rubbed his hand against it. The TARDIS hummed through him. He felt comforted by her and leaned his head against the controls for just a moment. The Doctor had always accused him of flirting with the TARDIS, but it really wasn't his fault if she started it. He patted her as he headed to the autopsy room again.

He had just finished the first one when Mickey came to the door. He had been more careful with this one and while he was still covered in blood, the man was still presentable. The autopsy told him exactly what he had suspected. The man had been killed first by the poison then his body mutilated to look like it had been attacked by a weevil. The question was why. What did the imposter gain by killing these people? Even if he had managed to successfully frame Jack, Jack was immortal with a vortex manipulator, he could leave Earth.

"He is awake, but barely. He has lost a lot of blood and if we don't let Martha tend to him, he is probably going to die before you can question him," Mickey explained. Jack pulled off one of his gloves and used it to pull off the other before throwing them both in the trash.

"I am going to get started on the next autopsy. Can you please check the news and see if there have been any more recent attacks or if anyone has reported any missing people," Jack asked Mickey as he carefully wheeled the body back to cold storage.

"Did you hear me, he is going to die," Mickey informed Jack in disbelief. Jack closed the door and opened the door next to it. He pulled out the next corpse to be autopsied.

"If he dies, then this is over. I am not pulling Martha away from the people who actually need help to tend to his wounds. Now go check the news," Jack snapped slightly.

"I thought you wanted answers," Mickey questioned. Jack finally turned to look at him. Mickey shuddered slightly upon seeing the hatred in Jack's icy blue eyes.

"I do and once he is dead I can autopsy him and get them. If we question him, he is just going to lie to us anyways and then I am going to get angry and hit him. At least this way he can't lie to us," Jack answered. He pulled on a fresh pair of latex gloves, picking up his scalpel he looked up at Mickey as he continued to stand dumbfounded in the doorway. "Yes?"

"Nothing," Mickey responded as he finally left Jack to his work.

-DW-

"Martha," The Doctor whimpered as he woke up. His head was hurting and the needle in his arm itched. He wanted to take the IV out, but it was providing him the medication that he needed in order to feel better. Still he pondered taking it out anyways as he scratched his arm. "Martha," He called out again, squinting against the lights. The TARDIS dimmed them for him as she hummed an apology.

"Hey, you should be sleeping," Martha commented softly as she came into the room, the TARDIS having alerted her that he was awake. The sedative she had given him wasn't strong yet she had expected it to last more than an hour. Still given the fact that he burned through drugs quickly, she should have been thankful it did last an hour.

"I need tea," He informed her. He didn't care that he sounded as though he were whining.

"Alright, I will go and get you a nice hot cuppa. Then I want you to try to get more sleep," Martha agreed. She closed the door behind her. She put the kettle on, waiting for it to come to a boil. As she waited Mickey came into the room.

"The man has woken up twice now, but he is bleeding to death and Jack refuses to let me ask you for help," Mickey told her leaning against the counter. "I know that the man is a murderer, but if Jack just lets him bleed to death all of the answers we need will be gone." Martha closed her eyes for a moment. The doctor in her wanted to help the man, even if she had to tend to his victims. The part of her that had walked the earth though agreed with Jack. She shouldn't waste her resources tending to him. Gwen was still just barely hanging on and Ianto needed his bandages changed soon. The Doctor wanted tea and she needed to check his vitals.

"If I get a moment I will come see if I can tend to him," Matha informed Mickey. Mickey kissed her on the head.

"Thank you," Mickey said, leaving her alone in the kitchen once more. The kettle whistled and Martha poured the steaming water into the Doctor's cup. She let the tea seep for a few minutes, then added sugar and a little bit of milk to cool it down. Carrying the tea back into his room, she found that he was still awake waiting. She handed him the tea, letting him drink a little. He looked up at her sadly as he tasted she had added extra sugar to it.

"You're going to poke me," he pouted.

"Yep," Martha agreed, pulling on a pair of gloves.

-DW-

Mickey watched on helpless as the man in the cell breathed out one final time before going still. His blood covered the bottom of the cell and with him died the answers that they were searching for. Jack could perform the autopsy if he wanted to, but it wasn't going to answer what the man's motivation was for coming and attacking them. It didn't tell them why Gwen was close to death or where the two lost little girls were. Mickey swore as he pounded his fist against the glass. He didn't like not having answers. Picking up his laptop, he stormed up the stairs, opening the door to the autopsy room.

"He's dead," Mickey informed Jack as he entered.

"He's next in line then. I have finished autopsies and found that all these people died the same way. I think it is time that we release their bodies back to the police. Would you please contact them and schedule a transfer of the bodies to their morgue?" Jack asked Mickey. Normally he would have Gwen arrange the transfer, but with her barely hanging on to life he couldn't. He set down his scalpel as Mickey glared at him. He turned and left, slamming the door behind him without another word. Jack took off his gloves, then opened the door again, heading down to the cells.

The man laid on the floor in the same place that Jack had left him. Jack felt no remorse for the man's death as he opened the cell and stepped inside. He was careful to avoid stepping in the man's blood as he knelt down and pressed two fingers to his neck. He waited longer than necessary as he failed to feel a heartbeat in the man's neck. Still he had to be sure. Realizing he should have brought a gurney with him, he closed and locked the cell as he left. Heading back up the stairs he ran into Martha with her kit.

"You're too late, he is already dead," Jack told her coldly.

"I better get back to tending to the others," Martha responded, turning around. Jack stared at her in astonishment.

"Aren't you going to yell at me for not tending to him sooner?" Jack wondered. Martha turned back around to look at him. There was a hardness in her eyes that Jack had seen before but never directed at him.

"No. There were other people to tend to and you made your choice," Martha informed him. Jack furrowed his brow.

"How are the others?" He asked.

"Gwen is the same, she is showing no signs that she is going to recover. If she were in a regular hospital we would be declaring her brain dead. The Doctor though said the medicine could make it seem that way and we have to give her a few days. Ianto is still sedated and his wounds have been redressed. The Doctor was up for a short time for a cup of tea. I also checked his vitals and they are a little off. He was sleeping when I left and the medication that he is on will help him make a full recovery as long as he continues to rest," Martha explained. "I need to get back in there though and make sure he is still in bed. I already found him trying to sneak to the library once, dragging his IV stand with him because he was bored."

"He does get bored easily," Jack chuckled.

"I only left him alone for ten minutes," Martha replied.

"Very easily," Jack clarified. Martha shook her head, going back up the stairs. Jack followed her to get a gurney. He retrieved the imposter's body taking it back to the autopsy room. Once there he stared down at the man who looked like him. Even with the news the man was only related to him, Jack kept expecting him to wake up with a gasping breath of life. It was only after the autopsy was complete that Jack accepted that he was truly dead. The autopsy had told him nothing, though. Mickey was right by the man dying all answers had been lost to them. Jack wasn't about to tell him he was right. Instead, he put the body into cold storage and went aboard the TARDIS.

Passing by the Doctor's room first, Jack saw that the door was open. The Doctor was sound asleep on his bed, laying on his back. His arm with the IV had tape wrapped around it several times and was flung across the Doctor's face as he snored peacefully. Jack smiled briefly before continuing on his way. Entering the medi-bay, Rhys didn't look at him as he held Gwen's hand. The hiss of the ventilator and the continuous beep of the heart monitors indicated she was still alive for now. Jack finally turned his attention to his lover. He had wanted to be by his side since he was first brought on the TARDIS. He had a responsibity though. There were people counting on him for answers and as much as he wanted to he couldn't just sit by Ianto holding his bandaged hand. He leaned over kissing an unbandaged place on Ianto's head as he slept on peacefully.

"I found the girls," Mickey announced softly as he entered the room.

"Where were they?" Jack wondered taking a seat next to Ianto.

"They are with their grandparents for the week. According to the grandmother, the father and mother were on the verge of separating and they were having one last week alone trying to save their marriage," Mickey answered him. "I also spoke with the police and they are going to come and get the bodies in the morning. They have accepted that the autopsies are already done and that the investigation is over. You are going to have to talk to them but I think we can finally stand down and concentrate on healing," Mickey told him.


	16. Chapter 16

Jack was still sitting by Ianto's bed when the Doctor woke up again. Martha was busy tending to Gwen as they tried to ween her off of the ventilator. Jack stood heading to the Doctor's room for her to check on him. It would have been easier on everybody if the Doctor would move into the medi-bay with the rest, but Jack understood why he didn't. Given the choice Jack would not have been in there either except for the fact that Ianto needed him. Jack didn't go to the Doctor's room right away as first he went to the kitchen making the Doctor a nice hot cuppa. Taking it and banana, he finally went to his room. The Doctor smiled at him as he entered.

"Tea?" He asked hopefully as he saw the cup in Jack's hand. Jack nodded. He handed it down to the Doctor sitting on the edge of his bed.

"I let him die," Jack admitted to the Doctor softly. "Mickey told me that he was bleeding out and I made the decision to continue the autopsies and ignore him. Now that he is gone, the answers have died with him. I don't know why he targeted you specifically and hurt you or why he chose to kill those five people."

"I can help you find out," The Doctor offered. Jack reached out to gently stroke the Doctor's hair back. He could see the fear in the Doctor's eyes as he stopped himself from flinching away at Jack's touch.

"You need to rest and get better," Jack replied. The Doctor scowled.

"I can look at a laptop while I rest," The Doctor complained to him. A yawn though cut him off. He looked horrified that he was yawning after he had just woke up. Jack couldn't help but chuckle. He resisted the urge to kiss the Doctor on the top of the head.

"Sleep and in two days time we will look together," Jack informed him. The Doctor nodded allowing Jack to take the cup of tea from him and set it on the nightstand. Jack placed the banana there as well in case the Doctor was hungry when he woke up again. He tucked the blankets up around the Doctor's shoulders as the Doctor closed his eyes. As he left the room the lights dimmed automatically to allow the Time Lord to sleep. Following Martha's lead, though, Jack didn't close the door behind him. He headed off the TARDIS as an idea occurred to him. The TARDIS was able to read DNA and maybe he could finally get answers. Heading down to the autopsy room he stood outside of the cold storage drawer.

The last time that Gray had been out in the universe he had caused the deaths of Tosh and Owen. Jack had placed him into cryogenic sleep with the hopes of one day helping his brother. That day never seemed to come. Maybe that was something else the Doctor could eventually help him with. Jack grabbed a syringe before he opened the keypad next to the chamber. Entering the code, that he only knew, Jack opened the door to the chamber and pulled out his brother enough to expose his legs. He tried not to concentrate on the fact that it was his brother as he stabbed the needle into his leg. Due to being cryogenically frozen he couldn't collect blood but he was able to get a tissue sample. He set the syringe aside, securing Gray's body once more before heading back to the TARDIS.

"I need you to compare this tissue sample with the DNA that you tested earlier," Jack told her as he approached the console. A drawer next to the monitor opened and Jack deposited the syringe inside. It didn't take her long to analyze the data and within moments she confirmed that the Gray was the man's grandfather. It wasn't much, but it was a place to start. It also answered how the man knew about Torchwood. What it didn't answer was how he knew about the Doctor and Alice and Steven. Jack had never told John about them. Still with them being from the future John could have accessed Torchwood's records. Jack growled that still didn't answer how they knew how to contact the Doctor.

He had hoped that bringing the DNA sample on board would give him answers and while it had provided some, it left him with even more. It was his own fault for letting the man die. Still he couldn't very well save the man who tried to murder his friends and his family. The Doctor would have, but the Doctor had always been a better man than him. Jack sighed. Mickey had been right he should have saved him.

-DW-

It took three days before Gwen finally woke up. She was confused when she did and had no memory of what happened to her. Thanks to the Doctor's early intervention, she was alive. She would eventually go on to make a full recovery and become an integral part of the Torchwood team again. For now she was alive and healing. Rhys still sat by her side holding her hand tightly in his. He would be wary of letting her return to work when she finally decided to. Her determination though would see her through.

Jack expected the Doctor to run as soon as he was healed. So he was surprised as anyone when the Doctor stuck around for a while. True to his word he also tried to help Jack find out how the man had known about the Time Lord as well as Stephen and Alice. They never did, though, and Jack had to live with the fact that he let the answers die with the man. He also helped with Ianto and Gwen's daily treatments to reduce the scarring and heal their burns. He made changes to the vault that Jack had for his artifacts, even adding a new lock on it. He even helped Jack to categorize them, working side by side with him. Their relationship would never be the same though after his attack. The imposter had driven a wedge between them that they both had to work to overcome. Some days it was easy and it was like nothing changed between them. Other days the Doctor would look at him with such fear in his eyes that Jack knew he was seeing the imposter and not him.

Jack didn't judge him for it. All of their lives had been turned upside down for one day and even if the imposter was dead, there were still days Jack worried that this wasn't over. That somewhere out there another man was waiting to come and rip his life apart. Whether or not he would be ready for it this time, Jack wasn't sure. What he was sure of is that there would be people who would stand by his side regardless, trusting him even when it seemed he had turned on them. The next time they came he would be ready. He just hoped that he didn't have to be./p


End file.
